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Xiu Ding Chen

29 June 2026

6 min read

The Rise and Rise of the Barcode

Barcodes have long sat awkwardly in the secure document world. They are fast and cheap, but easily copyable. A barcode is printed data, making it easy to clone, reprint or alter. But the industry is rethinking what a barcode is and what it can do. Instead of just holding a reference number that points to a record in a database, the barcode increasingly carries the actual identity data plus a digital signature from the issuer, drastically increasing its security and usefulness.

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Francis Tuffy

27 May 2026

2 min read

Nano-Engineered Optics for Passport and ID Card Protection

Counterfeiters are no longer limited to simple print and overlay methods to make counterfeit security features. High-resolution imaging, better foils, and wider access to precision tooling mean that many familiar ‘tilt effects’ can be imitated well enough to pass quick, first-line checks – especially on identity cards and passport datapages where the attack is aimed at the portrait and personal data.

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Francis Tuffy

27 April 2026

4 min read

Editorial – Metrology is the Glue of Trade

This is probably not the most attention-grabbing title for an editorial, but for a while I worked at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in London, where part of the lab’s job is supporting standards work through the British Standards Institution (BSI). That experience left me with two impressions about metrology.

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Jean-Charles Devynck

19 April 2026

5 min read

Level-1 Security: The Foundation of Designing Next-Generation Identity Documents

Designing next-generation identity documents requires more than layering security features. It requires structured engineering decisions that balance optical security, structural integrity, personalization technologies, and forensic resilience.

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Francis Tuffy

25 March 2026

3 min read

HSP EMEA Makes Its African Debut with a Record Audience

In February, the 22nd edition of the High Security Printing™ (HSP) EMEA conference took place in Rabat, Morocco, marking the event’s first appearance on the African continent. Attendance was recorded at 341 delegates representing 146 organisations across 49 countries, with an increased proportion of government agencies and central bank delegations.

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Francis Tuffy

2 March 2026

7 min read

EMEA Celebrates Outstanding Design and Innovation in Identity Documents

The annual Regional Banknote and ID Document of the Year Awards, a highlight of the High Security Printing™ EMEA conference, took place in Rabat, Morocco on 10 February 2026. The event brought together government ministries, national identity authorities and technology providers from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to recognise outstanding achievements in design, security and technology innovation in identity documents.

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Francis Tuffy

30 Jan. 2026

5 min read

Editor’s Predictions for the Year Ahead

This time last year I predicted that 2025 would bring an acquisition wave reshaping the industry, and 2026 is now showing the effect of this.

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Francis Tuffy

1 Dec. 2025

3 min read

Electrochromic Films – A Window into the Future of Secure Documents

Electrically controlled reflective films, as presented by Younjung Park and Heeyeon Kim of NANOSILIKHAN Advanced Materials, have taken a class of technologies long known in smart glazing and displays and adapted it specifically for high-security identification documents.

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Francis Tuffy

27 Oct. 2025

7 min read

Safe Streets and Secure Citizen ID in San Salvador

The 22nd annual CLARCIEV (Latin American and Caribbean Council for Civil Registries, Identity and Vital Statistics) conference was held from 1-2 October in San Salvador, marking one of the most well-attended editions in recent years. The event drew delegations from 22 countries and, for the first time, included a parallel exhibition area showcasing technology providers specialising in secure identity systems, biometric enrolment, document personalisation, and data management.

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Francis Tuffy

28 Sept. 2025

3 min read

Secure Documents at the Crossroads of Optical and Digital Innovation

The 2025 edition of Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS), held in Warsaw, Poland (15-17 September), once again confirmed its position as the world’s leading forum for the science and technology of secure documents. The range of technical papers emphasised the strong cross-fertilisation across the sector, which makes innovations in banknote protection equally useful in passports, identity cards, driving licences and civil registrations.

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Francis Tuffy

3 Sept. 2025

2 min read

TOPPAN Security Wins Design Award

Ethiopia’s new ePassport, designed and manufactured by TOPPAN Security, has been awarded the 2025 Red Dot Award in the Brands & Communication Design category, a prestigious international competition that honours outstanding achievements in communication design and enables winners to use the Red Dot quality label in their communications.

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Francis Tuffy

21 July 2025

6 min read

ID4AFRICA 2025 – From Africa, For Africa, In Africa

‘This is the dawn of the second decade in our pursuit of Identity for All in Africa,’ declared Dr Joseph Atick, Executive Chairman of ID4Africa, in his opening address at the Movement’s 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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Francis Tuffy

26 June 2025

2 min read

Optical Technologies and the Fight Against ID Counterfeiting

In an article recently published in Securing Industry, Dr Mark Deakes, chair of the new International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA), sets out how optical technologies are spearheading efforts to protect identity documents.

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Francis Tuffy

5 May 2025

3 min read

REAL ID Launches in US

After nearly two decades of delays, the US is set to enforce the REAL ID Act on 7 May 2025. This legislation, passed in 2005 in response to the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, aims to standardise the issuance of state identification documents to enhance national security. However, its implementation has been fraught with challenges, including logistical hurdles, political resistance, and privacy concerns.

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Francis Tuffy

29 April 2025

4 min read

Editorial: Why Digital Identity Cannot be Dematerialised

During the lockdowns that typified the COVID pandemic, there was a roughly two-year period during which it was only under very special circumstances that a person could leave their house to visit a government office, a bank or cross a border. This accelerated the requirement for validating someone’s identity remotely. Of course, this ‘person-not-present’ form of ID authentication was prevalent and growing before 2020, but the pandemic accelerated its acceptance.

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Francis Tuffy

31 March 2025

4 min read

Interview with Jean-Pierre Ting, President of TOPPAN Security

In just five years, TOPPAN Security has emerged as a real force in the global identity solutions market. Backed by TOPPAN, one of the world’s largest technology companies, TOPPAN Security has made strategic acquisitions and tactical moves, notably expanding its footprint in Africa. With the recent launch of the new Ethiopian ePassport, the ongoing construction of a state-of- the-art facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the recent acquisition of Citizen Identity Solutions from HID, the company is clearly on an upward trajectory.

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Francis Tuffy

4 March 2025

4 min read

Survey Reveals Lack of Clear Regulations and Standards Among Key Obstacles for PQC Adoption

With the announcement this month from Microsoft that it has successfully fabricated its first quantum processor based on a novel material known as a ‘topological conductor’, the ID and secure document market faces a critical challenge: ensuring the security of cryptographic systems against potential quantum threats.

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Francis Tuffy

3 Feb. 2025

3 min read

Identity Farming: A New Challenge to Identity Verification Systems

A new and alarming threat to identity verification systems has emerged, as researchers at iProov1 have uncovered an operation known as ‘identity farming’.

Digital Identity Free Free

Francis Tuffy

24 Dec. 2024

2 min read

Asia Celebrates Outstanding Design and Innovation

The annual Regional Banknote and ID Document of the Year Awards, a highlight of the High Security Printing ™ Asia Conference, took place in Bangkok, Thailand on 3 December. This prestigious event brought together industry leaders to celebrate exceptional achievements in design, security, and technological innovation across identity systems and banknotes.

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Francis Tuffy

27 Nov. 2024

11 min read

Interview with Dr Joseph Atick: Biometrics Pioneer and ID4Africa Co-Founder

Dr Joseph Atick is renowned for his pioneering work in the field of biometric identification, particularly in facial recognition technology. He is considered one of the founding figures in the development of biometric systems and has contributed significantly to making biometric identification widely accessible and usable.

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Latest News

The Rise and Rise of the Barcode

Nano-Engineered Optics for Passport and ID Card Protection

Editorial – Metrology is the Glue of Trade

Level-1 Security: The Foundation of Designing Next-Generation Identity Documents

HSP EMEA Makes Its African Debut with a Record Audience

EMEA Celebrates Outstanding Design and Innovation in Identity Documents

Editor’s Predictions for the Year Ahead

Electrochromic Films – A Window into the Future of Secure Documents

Safe Streets and Secure Citizen ID in San Salvador

Secure Documents at the Crossroads of Optical and Digital Innovation

TOPPAN Security Wins Design Award

ID4AFRICA 2025 – From Africa, For Africa, In Africa

Optical Technologies and the Fight Against ID Counterfeiting

REAL ID Launches in US

Editorial: Why Digital Identity Cannot be Dematerialised

Interview with Jean-Pierre Ting, President of TOPPAN Security

Survey Reveals Lack of Clear Regulations and Standards Among Key Obstacles for PQC Adoption

Identity Farming: A New Challenge to Identity Verification Systems

Asia Celebrates Outstanding Design and Innovation

Interview with Dr Joseph Atick: Biometrics Pioneer and ID4Africa Co-Founder

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