Digital Water Marks Thieves

[Sidney Markowitz]

Matt Crawford wrote:
> How do the tiny particles know that it's not a civilian
> illuminating them with ultraviolet light?
> 
> And how does Wired reporter Robert Andrews fail to ask that question?

And other people complain about how someone can spray their paint on
someone else's valuable and then call the police.

These arguments remind me of Peter Gutmann's recent post to the list
about "good enough" security... You can make the same arguments about
the DNA signature in blood. A civilian can analyze it. It is conceivable
that someone can get a sample of someone else's blood or other
biological sample and frame them by leaving DNA evidence somewhere. That
does not make DNA analysis useless as a tool in forensics.

So now there is a way of marking items that cannot be engraved and a way
of marking intruders. It sounds more sophisticated than a red dye bomb
in a sack of cash stored in a bank vault -- which also has its uses and
its drawbacks. Now it will be easier to tie the dyed material and the
dyed thieves to the specific crime. It is not a big deal that it does
not solve all problems in one stroke.

 -- sidney markowitz
    http://www.sidney.com

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