An application designed by the NFS will let anyone identify the authenticity of a document by using the app to scan a document’s QR code. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Apr. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – A new method to instantly identify the authenticity of hard-copy documents has been developed by Korean researchers. The National Forensic Service (NFS) said on April 9 that it has filed a patent for a technique of printing a 128 bit QR code encrypted with information on a hard-copy document, and of printing the encryption key in steganography, a form of hidden writing.
While the QR code is printed in a blank space on the document, the encryption key is printed with dots that are invisible to the naked eye in the space surrounding the QR code.
An application designed by the NFS will let anyone identify the authenticity of a document by using the app to scan a document’s QR code. The document can be identified as forged if the app cannot decrypt the key, or the decrypted information does not match the originally intended secret message.
The NFS’s new technology could bring significant change, as it has become more and more difficult for non-professionals to verify the authenticity of documents, as forgers become more skillful in deciphering encryption technologies. Non-professionals have been coping with having to wait a long time to receive authenticity results from professional bodies.
If the new technology is applied to various documents such as certificates, identity cards, checkbooks and official transcripts, it would dramatically decrease the time and effort needed to complete the authentication process.
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
