Understanding the technologies of trust

collIDe is a consulting firm focused on insight and understanding of the physical and digital technologies for anti-counterfeiting and authentication of currency, identification documents and brand protection, and the companies that serve these markets. we also examine the emerging mobile alternatives for payments, identification and product authentication

collIDe also provides representation services to select providers of secure materials and technologies

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all images: Wikimedia commons

trust: reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence - dictionary.com

Since people first began exchanging items of value with each other, they have looked for signs to confirm their trust in what they were exchanging:

whether as payment for goods or services
to prove I’m who I say I am
to assure me that this product is genuine

All of these needs have relied on a set of technologies whose value depends on being trusted. You might also know them as authentication technologies.

Traditionally, these technologies have been utilized in physical items, like:

currency, checks, credit cards
passports & ID documents
holograms & other brand authentication labeling
serialization

And a multi-billion dollar global industry has developed over hundreds of years to supply these products.

But our reliance in, and the market for these traditional "technologies of trust " is being challenged by multiple factors, including:

globalization of the economy and rising fraud & counterfeiting
smartphone’s and the convergence of functions, such as payments, ID and retail to them