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Filtered by Technology & Systems — 137 articles

Nicola Sudan

29 June 2025

2 min read

Optical Upgrade: Uttarakhand Introduces New Tax Stamps

The Uttarakhand State Excise Department, located in northern India, has enhanced its tax stamps by incorporating optical security features.

Tax Stamps Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

28 April 2025

8 min read

A Deep Dive into Quantum Tech for Tax Stamps

Last month, we spoke to the CEO of Quantum Base, a new International Tax Stamp Association member that brings quantum technology to traditional printing techniques to create virtually uncounterfeitable tax stamps. This month, we’re diving deeper into this technology and exploring how it could revolutionise revenue collection and traceability.

Interviews Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

2 April 2025

2 min read

Malawi Benchmarks Uganda’s Tax Stamps

In March, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) hosted an eight-member delegation from Malawi’s tax authority, for a five- day tax stamp benchmarking visit.

Technology & Systems

Francis Tuffy

18 March 2025

2 min read

Colour-Changing Smart Materials for Rapid Authentication

At the recent High Security Printing™ EMEA conference in Basel, Switzerland, Dr Alexander Brannan from the University of Manchester, and Gary Spinks of Security Fibres UK, presented advances in colour-changing smart materials designed for rapid authentication. This technology addresses key issues in anticounterfeiting by integrating academic research with industrial application.

Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

5 March 2025

2 min read

Metrc Launches Cannabis QR Code Pilot in Canada

Two cannabis businesses in the Canadian province of Alberta – Token Naturals and Plantlife Cannabis – together with US technology company Metrc, are launching a pilot project in Alberta to improve the transparency and safety of cannabis products.

Excise Products Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

5 March 2025

2 min read

The Digital/Physical Debate in the Face of Threats from AI and Quantum Computing

Across the tax stamp and traceability sector, several concurrent technologies are forcing change: digitisation, the impact of AI, and the prospect of quantum computing. There is no doubt that, individually, these technologies offer convenience and efficiency, but should we be concerned about the interplay between them and whether they could lead to a new set of threats?

Technology & Systems

Francis Tuffy

4 March 2025

3 min read

Quality and Colour: The Unsung Guardians of Secure Documents

If you only read media reports, it would be easy to assume that the most significant advances in identity document security stem from digital innovation, with biometric verification, blockchain-based identity management, and digital certificates dominating discussions.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

21 Jan. 2025

4 min read

Understanding Unclonable Patterns

Being unique is something we value in people, products, and even security. When something is so unique that it can’t be copied, it becomes a powerful tool to fight counterfeiting. Researchers are now creating unclonable patterns – designs that in theory can’t be reproduced – to protect products and prove they’re genuine.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

21 Jan. 2025

4 min read

Could 2025 be the Year for Smart and Sustainable IoT Labels?

At the recent CES 2025 consumer electronics event in Las Vegas, two companies, Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) and Linxens, unveiled their new smart label solutions, marking a significant advance in brand protection and supply chain integrity.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

21 Jan. 2025

2 min read

G+D Launches Smart Label for Supply Chain Tracking

International security technology group Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) has launched the G+D Smart Label, a second-generation tracking solution that transforms any package into an IoT (Internet of Things) device.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

23 Dec. 2024

3 min read

3D Printing Could Undermine Fight Against Fake Drugs, Study Finds

A paper published by researchers at Ulster University, the University of Central Lancashire, and Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, warns that prohibitions on the sale of pill presses and die punches, designed to restrict the production of counterfeit medicines, may be undermined by new technologies like 3D printing.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

23 Dec. 2024

2 min read

Security for Silicone Sealants

Building on recent search-and-seizure operations in South Africa to crack down on counterfeits of its Reinzosil silicone sealant for automotive components, Victor Reinz® (a Dana brand) has now introduced high-security ‘Dana Secure’ labels on its products, accompanied by a customer awareness campaign.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

23 Dec. 2024

3 min read

eInk and ePaper: Partners in Protecting Products

In the continuing fight against counterfeiting, eInk and ePaper technologies are emerging as vital tools, combining dynamic visual capabilities with robust anticounterfeiting features. While both technologies are distinct in their operational principles, in this article we will explore their joint ability to offer secure, flexible, and energy-efficient authentication solutions.

Technology & Systems

Francis Tuffy

25 Nov. 2024

2 min read

Janus Metasurfaces: Looking Both Ways at Once

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed an innovative metasurface that exhibits distinct optical responses based on the direction of incoming light1. Named after the two-faced Roman god Janus, these metasurfaces can manipulate light differently depending on the direction it comes from. This unique ability could help to authenticate secure communications.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

5 Nov. 2024

4 min read

Sustainable and Phygital Innovation Driving Tax Stamps in India

India is the largest market in the world for liquor tax stamps, given that 27 states consume 30-35 billion tax stamps annually. While tax stamps at a global level are mainly used on tobacco products as part of a federal scheme, the situation is different in India, where almost all stamps in circulation are used on alcoholic beverages at the individual state level – and no stamps are used at all on tobacco products.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

23 Oct. 2024

3 min read

Brand Protection: Using AI to Undo Damage Caused By... AI

Just when we thought we were getting to know what generative AI was, a more advanced kind of AI is attracting attention in the brand protection world: the agentic kind. What’s more, agentic AI for brand protection is being used to eradicate brand infringements exacerbated by its generative counterpart.

Technology & Systems

Francis Tuffy

15 Oct. 2024

3 min read

Electronic Ink Set to Make Dynamic Impact on Product Authentication

Traditional anti-counterfeiting printing techniques use enhanced specifications such as high resolution and small dimensions to provide security within static printed images for product authentication labelling and packaging. To enhance protection still further, dynamic print technologies are being developed. One such promising technology has recently been reported in the journal 'Light: Science & Applications' by a research group in Guangzhou, China.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

14 Oct. 2024

3 min read

Tech Breakthroughs: Printed Electronics, DNA Testing, Split & Hide

Soon, your fridge may notify you when your milk has gone bad without you having to open the door. Thanks to advances in printed electronics, this could become a reality.

Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

24 Sept. 2024

3 min read

QR Codes Are Not a Replacement for RFID Tags, Says Cannabis Track and Trace Provider

Florida-based Metrc has launched Retail ID™, a serialised QR code solution for enhancing cannabis supply chain transparency at retail level. Rather than replacing Metrc’s existing RFID tag system on cannabis plants and bulk packaging, the code is intended to complement it.

Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

1 min read

Tax Stamps that Talk Back at You

The Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corp (KOMSCO) has developed a tax stamp in collaboration with VOICEYE, a 2D high-density barcode solution specialist, with a focus on critical global markets like tobacco, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals.

Technology & Systems

Latest News

Optical Upgrade: Uttarakhand Introduces New Tax Stamps

A Deep Dive into Quantum Tech for Tax Stamps

Malawi Benchmarks Uganda’s Tax Stamps

Colour-Changing Smart Materials for Rapid Authentication

Metrc Launches Cannabis QR Code Pilot in Canada

The Digital/Physical Debate in the Face of Threats from AI and Quantum Computing

Quality and Colour: The Unsung Guardians of Secure Documents

Understanding Unclonable Patterns

Could 2025 be the Year for Smart and Sustainable IoT Labels?

G+D Launches Smart Label for Supply Chain Tracking

3D Printing Could Undermine Fight Against Fake Drugs, Study Finds

Security for Silicone Sealants

eInk and ePaper: Partners in Protecting Products

Janus Metasurfaces: Looking Both Ways at Once

Sustainable and Phygital Innovation Driving Tax Stamps in India

Brand Protection: Using AI to Undo Damage Caused By... AI

Electronic Ink Set to Make Dynamic Impact on Product Authentication

Tech Breakthroughs: Printed Electronics, DNA Testing, Split & Hide

QR Codes Are Not a Replacement for RFID Tags, Says Cannabis Track and Trace Provider

Tax Stamps that Talk Back at You

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