
Detecting Currency in Photoshop - hootx
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sjm217/projects/currency/
======
DrStalker
When this feature was first added to photoshop it caused a noticable delay
when opening files or pasting content from outside photoshop. It was possible
to disable the check by removing a DLL from photoshop and get the speed back
to normal.

Somehow I don't think this feature has done much to discourage serious
counterfitters, it's just annoyed legitimate users, especially as there are
pefectly legal ways in which an image of a banknote can be used.

~~~
cosmicray
> When this feature was first added to photoshop

Do you know what release that was ? Perhaps this cranky old copy of PS-5 I use
is free of that _enhancement_.

~~~
sciolistse
It was added in the first "CS" version.. Photoshop 5 is, unencumbered.

------
jwr
When you buy Photoshop, does it say on the box or in the specs that it will
choose which images it will allow you to process and refuse ones it deems
unsuitable?

Just wondering.

~~~
dsl
No. But you can return it to Adobe for a full refund. The Secret Service will
even hand deliver the check.

------
moe
...because how could counterfeiters possibly do their job when deprived of the
ability to add lens-flare

------
benjoffe
The best solution is to just make the currency very difficult to counterfeit,
eg. see Australian money which is plastic, textured and has a transparent
section; alas, this software still detects Australian notes.

------
slavak
Is this really a prevalent feature these days? I must be completely out of the
loop.

That must be the most useless "feature" I've ever heard of. What possible
reason is there for doing this?!

~~~
Zak
I understand why this might make an uneducated politician happy. What I don't
understand is the incentive for Adobe to do it. Was there ever a danger of
restrictions on image editing software?

~~~
A1kmm
Just a guess: maybe they have a contract to supply software to one or more
governments, and either a term is that they have to do it, or they don't want
to upset the government and lose the contract.

------
jodrellblank
As we add increasing amounts of software and microchips into the world around
us, are we setting ourselves up for a future in which 1-in-a-million false
positives / negatives end up happening in various systems several times a day?

 _Sorry, this microwave cannot heat this product, the explosive-density-
detector has triggered the security block_

(Now that I think about it, this mirrors my real world computing experience
right now - endlessly pestered by false matches and ineffective checks. File
downloads blocked by mime type, by browser, by file extension, file opening
blocked by extension, program install blocked by UAC, program running blocked
by inaccessible internet, file copy blocked by "unspecified security flaw"...)

------
tzs
I wonder how currency designers deal with this? In the US, at least, they use
Photoshop for this.

------
athom
Coming soon to the GIMP.

And Krita.

And... ?

~~~
athom
Wow, _somebody_ was not amused. No clue why...

~~~
A1kmm
Both are GPLd programs, most likely with copyright ownership spread across
large numbers of contributors in many countries. The GPL says you can't
distribute the program unless you include the complete source code. To legally
distribute a version of a GPLd image manipulation program with a closed-source
currency detection module in it, you would need to get every person who holds
copyright in that program to agree - probably an impossible task given many
probably feel strongly against this kind of restriction. Alternatively, it
might be possible to get a law passed to exempt distributors from that terms
of the license - but that would only apply in one country, and it would also
need to override the 'freedom or death' term of the GPL.

Even if there was a Free / Open Source currency detection engine, I doubt it
would be included in the projects unless it became a legal requirement.

~~~
athom
Which was actually my point. I don't see anyone willingly adding a feature to
actually restrict functionality the way a currency detection engine
would/does. At least, in an open source project, I think there would be enough
resistance from contributors to keep such components from becoming standard
features. This I consider a _good_ thing about the GIMP, Krita, and any/every
other FOSS graphics package out there.

That said, it does present a pretty little puzzle for the FOSS community.
Given governments' recent roles in expanding the reach of FOSS software, I
don't think we can ignore the question of what happens when and where the
interests of the state conflict with those of the FOSS community. Here,
specifically, we have a case where a government may desire a "feature"
anathema to the community, but likely can't force the community to accept such
a requirement. What they _might_ be able to do is outlaw any version of the
package which does _not_ incorporate the restriction. How effectively can
could they enforce it? Not much, perhaps, right now, but we'd be fooling
ourselves to think they never could. It's all but certain they're going to
keep trying, even if it proves utterly impossible.

Thank you for responding, A1kmm. This is what I was really hoping to see: some
actual discussion of the point. In any case, I apologize for offending whoever
downmodded me. I'll try not to be quite so snarky in future.

