Mandatory Banknote Detection Code?

metamatic writes "The European Union is planning to introduce legislation to make it mandatory for software developers to add black-box banknote detection code to their graphics software.How will this apply to open source software? Is it time to get writing to your Euro-MP?"

Comments

next time on CSI:

[OwlofCreamCheese]

next time on CSI: man rendered invisible to the magic zoom-in photo software by wearing suit made of dollar bills

Re:Photoshop does this

[b0lt]

Yeah, it got cracked by using Illustrator to scan it in, or open an image, and import it into Photoshop. Quite ridiculous to spend time putting protection into one product, and not putting into its blood-brother.

Dear European Union

[DeadBugs]

Dear European Union,
I am an open source software developer. Could you please send me samples of all EU notes, so that I can include image protection in my software. 10-20 copies of each should be enough to complete the work needed.

Re: Photoshop does this

[jpkunst]

I think the general consesus was that this won't do a thing to help stop counterfitting.

Not too surprising, since the general consensus on /. seems to be that nothing will ever do a thing to stop anything.

JP

Re:Nice.

[Agent Green]

That's funny...especially since my employer almost exclusively uses Xerox copiers. Imagine...if all those copiers were shut down on $5...I figure it'd take me about 30 minutes to visit each one and render all of them useless. :)

Profit!

[presearch]

Create an army of autonomous solar powered hyper-Roombas.
Have them with scamper about with a video grabber and the black box algorithm.
Set them loose to harvest money.

Seriously, it seems to me that the black box library would just be
as easily used as a dependable proof reader for money image duplicators,
and a much more easily targeted point of failure.

Ban compilers?

[D4C5CE]

what are you going to do, ban compilers?

Shsh... don't you give 'em politicians new ideas!
"Overheard from imaginary Members 1 to 4 of Some Parliament:"

1. You know, everyone and their Mum at their kitchen table can now write programs that can be used to forge money, so we must outlaw unlicensed development tools immediately!
2. So that's another good reason for what the representatives of MicScoSoft who invited me for dinner at the Deluxe Grand Hotel last week proposed too? They are saying people abuse these very same tools to siphon their company's IP by creating cancerous leprosy software and spreading it on unsuspecting victims "for free"...
3. Well, industry could still give compilers to authorized certified developers for a fee, so the measures we propose cannot possibly curtail any legitimate development.
4. Your bill has my party's unconditional support.

Re:Black Box Code?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's stupid - there's no such thing as black box code.

Nonsense! Of course there is, and in fact you can find it right here.

Re:T-shirts

[Andy_R]

I tried to make one, but the damn graphic software wouldn't let me!

Re:Great Idea

[hazem]

This isn't about counterfeiting, it's all about screwing the little guy.

The major sources of counterfeiting are other governments and large multinational crime organizations. They'll be able to get around this stuff.

Now that the little guy can make his own passable bills, they're all out to squash him down. Nothing new here.

Re:Duh...?

[gfody]

I thought this was already taken care of with the price of ink cartridges?

sure you can print your own money. but there isn't a US currency denomination large enough for you to get a return on your investment.

Printer Ink

[Anonymous Coward]

This legislation is silly. The price of printer ink these days CLEARLY makes it uneconomical to print fake $100 bills. It'd cost you more for the ink than you would generate in counterfeit currency!

Re:Duh...?

[HermanAB]

Exactly - that is where the term money laundering comes from. Cocaine dealers used to wash the money to remove cocaine traces - nowadays almost all money has cocaine traces, so they stopped doing that, otherwise a batch of clean money would indicate drug money...