SECURING ID DOCUMENTS WITH DIGIMARC® IDMARC™
by Nigel Ward

The primary function of an ID card is to identify and protect an individual’s identity from fraudulent use and theft. Fast, accurate and positive personal identity is at the centre of today’s security conscious society. It’s successful implementation is crucial to public care and safety, from commercial and public transportation, travel, public health and social welfare to fair and democratic elections.

Creating a Highly Secure ID Card
The integrity of ID card documentation is continuously under attack. The motives vary from altering demographic data, such as date of birth for acquiring certain rights, payments or privileges, to stealing identities for financial fraud, major identity misrepresentation and acts of terrorism.

The essence of ensuring the validity of all identity documentation depends upon the integrity of the issuance process; the ID card’s layered security features, together with the reliability and simplicity of the inspection tools and process.

ID Attacks - A Growing Threat
In recent years, the increased availability of scanners, printers and pirated software, have assisted counterfeiters, in response Governments are adopting digital technologies and leading edge security features as an increased safety measure in the production of secure ID documentation.

Digimarc ID Systems has risen to the challenge, developing card security features and production systems which reliably confirm the validity of an ID card. Integral to this is the combination of complimentary overt human verification and covert machinereadable security features which create a barrier to counterfeiting, while facilitating the inspection process.

As a machine-readable feature, Digimarc IDMarc digital watermarking aids police forces, transportation, immigration and social welfare officials around the world to quickly and reliably confirm the authenticity of an ID card/document and aid in the forensic analysis of a counterfeit
document when necessary.

IDMarc Digital Watermarking: Covert Security for Today’s ID
Digimarc is the world leader in both digital watermarking and secure identity documentation, producing more than 60 million identity documents annually for programmes around the world. Digimarc has developed and shipped digital watermarking solutions since 1996. Digimarc’s unique IDMarc solution for drivers’ licences and ID documents uses multiple covert digital watermarks to create layered card security. IDMarc is an effective, covert and machinereadable
feature to combat identity fraud and theft, while ensuring ID document integrity.

Covert & Cost Effective
Drivers licence and ID card designers can embed IDMarc digital watermark security feature that can be detected by a computer but are virtually imperceptible to the naked-eye. IDMarc security features do not take up any extra space on the card or add to the material cost of the document. A forger may not even be aware of the feature and it is virtually impossible to replicate.

Protecting Privacy
Although imperceptible by humans, IDMarc security features are machinereadable. Computers or digital equipment with secure, audienceappropriate-detection (AAD) software can automatically process the data. Unlike most machine-readable features IDMarc security features can authenticate the document without necessarily containing personal data and compromising the card holder's privacy. The data can be read via a commercial imager or optical scanner, or specialised document readers and associated secure software.

Cross-jurisdiction Authentication
Given the multitude of ID cards across the world, IDMarc offers the benefit of cross-jurisdictional authentication and forensics without the need to conform to a common design template, guidelines or restrictions. The feature accommodates the needs for progressive future design updates.

Operational Flexibility & Durability
IDMarc security features can be applied during the ID card personalisation process in a centrally issued or overthe-counter (OTC) production process, offering a greater degree of flexibility
in card production and issue. Digimarc watermarks are compatible with a variety of documentation production techniques, including digital printing, offset printing, laser printing, dye thermal printing and lamination. The IDMarc feature survives through the wear and tear expected of multi-year life cycle cards.

Forensic Data for Investigation of Counterfeit and Fraud
An IDMarc included in a driver’s licence or ID card is an invaluable tracking device. The security data embedded into the IDMarc security feature can be designed such that if a copy forms part of a forged ID document it can assist in providing a forensic link back to the original document. This tracking feature can identify a single forged card or multiple forgeries from the same source, providing hard and indisputable evidence for prosecution.

Everyone Benefits from Securing ID Documents with IDMarc.
From Governments to Police, Border Control, Customs & Excise, Health and Social Welfare

Digimarc IDMarc as a security feature

• Assures public safety by creating highly secure cards that are easy to authenticate but virtually impossible to successfully counterfeit
• Provides authentication across many regions and countries
• Enables card forensic examination
• Reduces the risk of identity theft
• Protects personal privacy

The security of an ID document is only as effective as the quality of the layered security features of the production system. IDMarc digital watermarking security feature, because of its covert nature, makes counterfeiting an arduous and near impossible task. To attempt to duplicate it fraudulently would require highly sophisticated scientific knowledge.

About Digimarc’s Secure Identification Solutions
Digimarc is the world leader in supplying secure identification solutions to governments, business and organisations that require highly secure, high quality and large volume ID Systems and documents. Digimarc’s Secure Identification Solutions can be customised to meet the special needs of an organisation and include the hardware, software, services, card materials and security technologies used to provide the highest quality, secure IDs. Digimarc Secure Identification Solutions are used daily in thousands of locations around the world to produce more than 60 million government-issued photo IDs a year, including drivers licences for 32 U.S. states and national ID cards, voter ID cards, drivers licences, social security cards and other documents for more than 24 countries internationally including the United Kingdom, Latvia, Russia, Mexico, the Philippines, Costa Rica Hong Kong, Botswana and New Zealand. For further information, contact your representative or visit us at www.digimarc.com/DIDS