Thread

Keys Not Included: recovering the signing keys for US driver's license barcodes

289 points · 152 comments · Ryan5453

piratejon · 1789617453 · focus · HN ↗
That's really neat! Seems potentially adaptable to paper currency--a verifiable QR code digital signature of the bill's serial number creates a cryptographically hard obstacle to counterfeiting!
1. kqp · 1789618336 · focus · HN ↗
  Copy known good serial number + signature.
  1. teravor · 1789620497 · focus · HN ↗
    combine with a central authority server network and make it blind signatures and you have untraceable e-cash.
    mitxela · 1789627417 · focus · HN ↗
    No government wants untraceable e-cash. They want it fully traceable.
    teravor · 1789651688 · focus · HN ↗
    it would depend on the government and the situation. I suspect most don't realize this is possible. a small government can generate immediate demand for their currency doing this.
    lxgr · 1789654005 · focus · HN ↗
    The original e-cash paper is from 1983. Governments absolutely know this is possible.
    It's just much "too private" to get any political traction. At the very least, I suspect an acceptable modern alternative would either have caps on what can be sent/received completely anonymously (e.g. per recipient and timespan) or want non-anonymous recipients (to allow for VAT/sales tax accounting etc.)

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