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Currency Detection Discovered in More Products

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the plot-thickens dept.

netbsd_fan writes "BUGTRAQ is reporting that anti-counterfeiting spyware is being found in more and more products. What is also interesting is that these products block fair uses of currency images which do not break the law. What incentive do printer manufacturers have to treat their customers like criminals? Is this a precursor to DRM in scanners, CD drives, and output devices?"

7 of 677 comments (clear)

  1. it's a test... by dirtyboot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's actually just a test for the true roll-out, which will prevent the reproduction and distribution of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

    1. Re:it's a test... by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't know if this is too new. One guy living in England told some me years ago that you can't photocopy currency on photocopiers. They just come out black.

      In all honesty, I think that something like this is a bad idea because it relieves governments of the responsibility of making currency that is hard to counterfeit. Sooner or later, someone hardcore (probably a crime ring) with their own equipment will come along and duplicate poorly designed currency, making a whole bunch of fake currency that is undetectable.

      This is the same as what's going on with the DMCA. People are afraid to reveal vulnerabilities they have found in software so the things go unpatched, and then someone with a very evil agenda will come along exploit the problems that were not fixed due to silly restrictions.

      The 'release now, patch later' doctrine is widely used in software ... but I would not want to see it applied in something like currency.

  2. Preemptive Obedience by Rhubarb+Crumble · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The Germans have a phrase for this sort of thing - "Preemptive Obedience". Question is, who are they obeying, and why? Colour photocopiers have been around for ages and photocopies of banknotes haven't been a huge problem so far. So what's new?

    Maybe this is another example of the kind of initiative that bureaucrats dream up all the time and usual get binned immediately, but are nowadays somehow seeing the light of day due to some "homeland security" paranoia. Like telling airline customers not to queue for the toilets in planes or whatever.

  3. Re:note design changes (anticounterfeit mania) by G4from128k · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I wonder if more images will incorporate these anticounterfeiting circles? CD covers, web photos, and books could all incorporate this simple design.

    What happens if someone puts the circle design on their webpage images? Does this prevent printing, copying, etc. web images?

    Circle mania could get very interesting.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
  4. "Do not copy" symbol by Animats · · Score: 5, Insightful
    What happens if someone puts the circle design on their webpage images? Does this prevent printing, copying, etc. web images?

    Effectively, there's now a standard symbol for "do not copy". It needs to be better publicized, but it's out there. Soon we'll see it on everything.

  5. Re:Oh grow up by Mr+Guy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Boy you are going to get the IP police on you about this one.

    Downloading MP3's is NOT a federal crime, for very many reasons.

    1) It pisses me off when people leave out the words "without distribution permission". I know why people do it, but the net result is it allows people to label an entire class of LEGAL activity as being shady. For example, absolutely nothing stops me from recording my wife singing, encoding it in the MP3 format, and sharing it. There are plenty of bands (insert rant about commercialized music and better alternatives) that have authorized distribution. MP3 != stolen

    2) It's not a federal crime. It's a violated contract. These are civil court infractions, not federal violations.

    3) The difference between a civil dispute and a federal crime is quite large. As in the difference between at most a fine and years of jail time.

    The parent poster was absolutely right. People forget what a REAL crime it is and ruin their whole lives. You'd honestly be better off stealing a candy bar than forging a $5 to pay for it.

    --
    Never confuse volume with power.
  6. Re:So What? by hopeless+case · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem isn't that this is stopping people from printing images of currency, but that it is establishing the principle that it is ok for the government to require programmers to put crime detection / phone home features in their software.

    Do you see the problem now?

    The "right" being infringed here is very close to speech. The right to write/run software of your own choosing without having to ask the government if it is ok first.

    You would consider it a big deal if the government required you to get their approval before publishing an article you had written, wouldn't you?

    The phrase prior-restraint comes to mind.