Authenticating Licence Plates with Liquid Crystals

Criminal activities involving counterfeit licence plates are increasing. In the United States, temporary plates have been misused for criminal activities, while in countries like Bolivia, the UK, France, and Australia, thousands of fake plates are reported annually.

The proliferation of fake licence plates is closely linked to crimes like unauthorised access, toll fraud, tax evasion, and insurance fraud. In response, governing bodies and law enforcement agencies worldwide are seeking innovative solutions to secure vehicle licence plates and authenticate them efficiently.

To meet this challenge, SICPA has applied the optical and material- based technologies provided by its security inks to vehicle licence plate authentication, with a solution that not only protects against tampering and counterfeiting but also enables intuitive remote authentication.

The solution is based on liquid crystal printing techniques engineered to create a visual authentication system visible to the naked eye. When viewed from different angles, the technology exhibits colour shifts, while its polarisation properties enable licence plates to be authenticated using a simple polarising filter.