DDS 2019 Review – Berlin

Conference Review

Attendees were drawn from government banknote and ID issuing and enforcement agencies, from established security document providers – including Bundesdruckerei, Goznak, SICPA and Orell Füssli – from universities and research institutes, and from the new field of digital transaction and ID systems, such as Google, Veridos and Scytáles (see below the list of attendees).

The conference examined the transition from physical secured documents –for example, banknotes and identity documents – to digital methods for financial transactions and storing identity credentials. Whilst acknowledging the disruptive nature, convenience and vulnerabilities of purely digital methods, the conference also looked at whether the two domains of physical and digital can co-exist, and if so how.

The safety and security of digital identity and financial transactions was the underlying theme to emerge from the presentations and discussions. Dr Mark Deakes, Director of Optical and Authentication Technologies at Reconnaissance, gave an introductory paper explaining the DDS context and the thinking behind it. This was followed by a keynote paper from Ian Lancaster, DDS Co-Chairman, in which he pointed out that physical secured documents have a thousand-year history, giving a wealth of experience to the issuers, producers and examiners, so items such as banknotes and passports now have a high level of protection built in. One result is that the number of counterfeit banknotes and the incidence of fraudulent passports have been falling, but it also leads to the high level of public trust in these and similar documents. He also pointed out that the move to digital systems for transactions and ID represents a shift in the balance of power, from issuers (often government agencies) to the public, who own and control what is on their smartphones.

A question examined at DDS is whether digital systems can match this level of security and gain the same level of public trust. Several presenters showed how their digital ID, such as Kosovo’s recently rolled out digital driving licence – a system developed by Veridos – or transactional systems work and their built-in security, while presenters from newer companies that specialise in digital systems’ security focussed on their specific approach.

Delegates acknowledged the fragility of public trust, identified in a presentation by Dr Alan Hodgson, Co-Chairman of the Conference, who pointed out that “trust takes a long time to build and no time to destroy.” On the other hand, a key driver for digitalisation is public convenience, although this convenience may jeopardise or compromise security.

Micaal Sidorov, editor of Reconnaissance’s ID & Secure Document News, surveyed the global trend to digital and eID systems, the sub-text being that we are past the tipping point in the move from physical to digital. This didn’t prevent delegates from expressing their concerns regarding the security of such systems, given the large number of hacking and ID theft cases now being reported.

Delegates also supported calls – led by Dr Hodgson – for the introduction of international standards covering identity and payment data stored on smartphones and other portable devices. These standards would span the characteristics, security and interoperability of digital driving licences, other ID documents and bank and credit card data. A technical paper on this topic, published by the IEC, was presented at DDS.

At the end of the first day of the conference a buffet dinner was held at which there were nine table-top exhibits. This was an opportunity for exhibitors (Bundesdruckerei, INPI Asia, Jura, Krypten, Leonhard Kurz, Luminescence, Document Security Alliance, Scytales, Signe) to show delegates the products and systems that were being discussed in the event, holding one-to-one conversations to demonstrate or explain these features and systems.

The two-day conference was preceded by a half-day short course under the title Digital and Physical, Does One Plus One Equal Three? Ian Lancaster gave an overview of the basics of physical document security, following by a similar overview of digital document security by Alan Hodgson. This led to a discussion around the 1+1=3 question, when participants recognised the inevitability of the growth of digital methods, expressed their concern at the monopoly power this is allowing and the vulnerability of networks, while concluding that there is great potential for the use of digital systems and physical documents to operate together.

Response to the conference was overwhelmingly positive. It is the only event that focuses on the security of the document and the concomitant personal information in this fast-moving field, so participants called for it to be held again in a year’s time, some even recommending their country or region as the location for the next event.

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