Senator Briefly Brings Fake Driver's License App To The Public Eye Before Having It 'Taken 'Round Back And Shot'

from the i-hate-this-therefore-no-one-else-can-have-it dept

Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has taken virtual pen in hand and crafted a letter to Tim Cook, Apple's new CEO, in order to provide free advertising for warn him about a possibly "rogue" app that allows iPhone users to create phony drivers' licenses.

He has a lot to say in his full page ad overly concerned email concerning "Drivers License" and waxes effusively about all the fun terrible things that could possibly happen should the app fall into the wrong hands. It's not simply a matter of a couple of kids going on a beer run. No, the "Drivers License" app could quite possibly tear down this great nation. From the inside.
Dear Mr. Cook:
I write to express my concern with "License" by DriversEd.com, an application available for download in Apple's App Store which can be used to create counterfeit identity documents. I believe this application poses a threat to public safety and national security, and I request that you remove it from the App Store immediately.
Sure, to the average iPhone user (who, until today, had most likely never even heard of this app), this piece of software looks like a clever little distraction that could be used to crank out replica IDs, only with cleavage, buttocks or buttock cleavage in place of the usual mug shot. Or perhaps the average user might whip up a couple of fake IDs for their 10-year-old twins in the interest of making them easier to tell apart.

Bob Casey sees it another way. The only purpose this app serves is to grease the wheels of a multitude of criminal and terrorist enterprises.
By downloading "License", anyone with an iPhone or iPad can easily manufacture a fake driver's license by taking a photo and inserting it into one of fifty state driver's licenses' templates. Users then have a high quality image resembling an actual driver's license which they can easily print, laminate, and use for any number of illegal and fraudulent activities.
Waitwaitwaitwaitwait. ... what?

"Laminate?"

I may not have done any actual research on this, but I'm fairly sure laminated state IDs went the way of the mimeograph machine and the Fourth Amendment. I'm guessing the only place a laminated ID is valid is at the community college book store and even then, the student discount does not apply to textbooks.

Today's typical state ID is a modern marvel, chock-full of holograms, magnetic strips and a thinly disguised Mark of the Beast.* It takes a bit more than some purloined office supplies to create a passable fake these days and your average inkjet just isn't up to the task.
*Bible Belt only.

Moving on:

While DriversEd.com markets the app as a fun game, it can also be used in a way that allows criminals to create a new identity, steal someone else's identity, or permit underage youth to purchase alcohol or tobacco illegally.
Once again, if a laminated fake is out there living your life in a ways you only dreamt possible, your beef is with those who accepted a laminated printout as a legitimate form of identification, not with the app that helped create this faux-you that went out skydiving/dynamite purchasing. This includes the staff at the bottle shop who have just become both everyday heroes and easy marks for hundreds of thirsty (and previously smoke-free) teenagers.

But the real issue here (among several other equally real issues, except that this is truly the REAL issue) is the threat this app poses to America!
National security systems depend on the trustworthiness of driver's licenses, yet with a counterfeit license created by this app, a terrorist could bypass identity verification by the Transportation Security Administration, or even apply for a passport.
Good lord! This isn't an app! It's an all-in-one terrorist creation kit! Your (probably) non-local terrorist need do nothing more than sign a 2-year contract with a cell phone company, download and install the app, take a couple of headshots, take a couple more headshots with Instagram for old-time lulz and then it's off to the explodey races!

But Bob isn't done yet. It's back to the original "real" problem:
By assisting in the creation of counterfeit driver's licenses, "License" threatens to ease deception by criminals and contribute to the rising problem of identity theft. Given these risks, I request that you remove this application from the App Store immediately, as well as any other available applications that allow users to create, steal or alter false identities.
So... all photo apps need to be deleted? Any photo editing software? Anything that could pull up a template or reference image for photo IDs? Like say, browser software? How about the built-in camera, Bob? Should that be removed as well? After all, it does take pictures, and as we have seen, a facial photo is the gateway drug to corrupting minors, racking up Mom's JC Penny card and attempting to detonate underwear bombs.

The best part about this overwrought letter? Thousands of people who had no idea something this much fun/trouble was available in the app store are now being informed that yes, such a thing exists and here's the link to purchase it. [No longer available. See below.] Does it ever occur to people like Senator Casey that maybe, just maybe, if no one else is worked up about something that maybe the best thing you could do, as a person in a position of power, is just let it go? Otherwise, Sen. Barbra, this is the sort of thing that happens. Everyone thinks you're ridiculous and the app in question enjoys a spike in popularity.

The lesson is: if you want to see something you'd like to get rid of go viral instead, just throw your weight around and start cranking out blustery emails to corporate CEOs.

PREPRESS UPDATE:

And Apple has killed the app. I suppose with millions of other apps still for sale there's no reason to make a stand for a single app. That doesn't make it any less disappointing to find out that with the right name signed to the bottom of a misguided letter is all it takes to get someone else's craftwork killed. I guess the real lesson is: if you want to see something you'd like to get rid of go viral instead, just throw your weight around and start cranking out blustery emails to corporate CEOs.

Senator Casey takes a moment to congratulate himself over at his website:
"I urged Apple to take the responsible step of removing this dangerous app, and I'm pleased that the app is no longer available in the store," Senator Casey said. "As Pennsylvania and states across the country deal with the rising problem of identity theft, tools that facilitate breaking the law should not be available to potential criminals."
Roughly translated:
"I overreacted to something and now it is gone. We still have our work cut out for us dealing with the rising problem of identity theft and I am sure that pulling this app has done little to nothing towards fighting that problem. Instead, it has given the office of the Senator the appearance of Having Done Something, and in the end, isn't that what really matters?"
 

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Filed Under: apps, bob casey, divers license, overreaction


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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:14am

    National security systems depend on the trustworthiness of driver's licenses

    If "National security systems" can be so easily fooled by a simple smartphone app, the problem isn't with the smartphone app, Mr. Senator.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Kevin H (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:21am

      Re:

      no shit. I can google a hi rez image for any state I want. Should we shut it down.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        A Dan (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:39am

        Re: Re:

        Actually, there are surprisingly few such high-res images on Google Images. Actually, maybe it's not surprising, since it would basically be saying "Steal My Identity" to the whole internet.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          martyburns (profile), 14 Dec 2011 @ 5:07am

          Re: Re: Re:

          Oh well, if you cant find an image online you may find one in your Mums handbag next to her 10MP camera.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:14pm

      Re:

      Actually, drivers licenses are not easy to forge. Not if the person looking at it knows what to look for. It's just that most people only take a quick look at the front and say, "OK", but drivers licenses have many features that make them hard to force in the hands of someone who knows what to look for.

      For instance, they generally have very small micro - printing that takes a good magnifying glass to find and even then it can be difficult to find without looking hard. Even high resolution scanners can't easily focus on this micro printing and high resolution printers can't easily replicate it.

      Putting them under a UV light often reveals an encoded message.

      Also, drivers licenses generally have a black strip across their vertical edges, it prints halfway into the edge (not the corner, but in the middle of the vertical edge if you turn the license sideways). Most printers can't easily emulate that since they can't easily print halfway in between a page's edge.

      Unfortunately, the biggest problem is that many people are unaware of these security features and so not everyone knows to check for them.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:24pm

        Re: Re:

        (and I think the last paragraph is the problem with many security systems. You can have all the best security measures in place but if people ignore them, or if verification is too burdensome, then it doesn't matter much).

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    John Doe, 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:15am

    I had my identity stolen once...

    While DriversEd.com markets the app as a fun game, it can also be used in a way that allows criminals to create a new identity, steal someone else's identity

    I had my identity stolen once; I wondered around aimlessly not knowing who I was. After I got my identity back I was hoping someone else would steal it. After all, when it was gone I had not responsibilities, no job, nobody knew who I was. I could come and go as I please. Once I got it back people recognized me, made me report back to work, pay my bills and so on.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      athe, 13 Dec 2011 @ 12:29pm

      Re: I had my identity stolen once...

      Saw your subject and thought you were going to finish with "until I took an arrow to the knee".

      Hmm. . .

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    jason, 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:19am

    Bob Casey owes his political career to having the last name "Casey" - not to any talent of his own. He is a continuing embarrassment to residents of PA (like me), but then again it is hard to find a politician that isn't an embarrassment to someone.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      A Dan (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:31am

      Re:

      Pennsylvania should be more focused on making a driver's license that can't be faked so easily. That's the type all the college kids have been getting for the last year or two.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        jason, 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:16am

        Re: Re:

        So your point is I should be more concerned about fake IDs than ineffective representation in both the House and Senate? Whatever.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          A Dan (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:23am

          Re: Re: Re:

          Sorry, my point was that you're correct. Your representative is focusing on all the wrong things, grandstanding when he could instead look at real problems.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        dwg, 13 Dec 2011 @ 1:50pm

        Re: Re:

        I think Pennsylvania has larger problems viz their colleges right this second.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dave, 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:23am

    "I urged Apple to take the responsible step of removing this dangerous app, and I'm pleased that the app is no longer available in the store,"

    Or, in other words: Somewhere out there was an app that I didn't like. Fortunately I was able to censor it without bothering with the law or due process. Go me!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Steve Allen, 17 Jan 2012 @ 1:09pm

      Re:

      Just a sneak preview of the standard MO under SOPA/PIPA/PROTECT IP and NDAA.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    A Dan (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:25am

    Insider

    I work for a company that detects fake IDs. Inserting a photo into a template and printing and laminating it isn't going to pass a casual cashier's glance (no matter how fancy your printer is). The only real sources of concern at this point are the decent fakes coming from China, decent fakes made by professional theft rings, and real licenses obtained by bribing DMV officials.

    Things like this app are just a silly distraction and not causing any real harm or facilitating any real identity theft.

    And you're correct, every US state has been on solid plastic (unlaminated) licenses since 2004 or earlier.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      A Dan (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:27am

      Re: Insider

      Clarification: Depending how long they were valid, that means the laminated cards have all been expired since, say, 2009.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:38am

      Re: Insider

      ...and real licenses obtained by bribing DMV officials

      Given recent events, such as:

      http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/11/28/1646237/new-jersey-dmv-employees-caught-selling-identi ties

      Would anyone care to speculate on what the cost of a "real" fake license is?

      I'm going to guess that it's within the budget of everyday criminals.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous, 31 Jan 2014 @ 12:46am

      Re: Insider

      Despite what you may think, putting a photo into a template and printing+laminating it WILL pass a casual cashier's glance, even with a cheap card printer. Not only will it pass a glance, but it has also passed meticulous inspection. So far, average acceptance of such IDs has been 100%, with a 0% margin of error.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous, 31 Jan 2014 @ 1:05am

      Misconception

      I don't know where the author is getting their information from, but some of it is incorrect. First of all, almost every state's (if not all) drivers license is laminated. It's how the security features (UV, hologram) are applied.
      Second, a passable fake is very easy to create. You dont need much more than an ID card printer, blank cards, a good template, and Photoshop. If you don't have a connect for holos, then they can be simulated by applying pearlex using a custom-made stamp made with a stampmaker kit.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Chris Rhodes (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:28am

    Obvious Next Step

    Release it for Android.

    Problem solved.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Andrew (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:42am

    Even where I live (Trinidad and Tobago) we don't have laminated Driver's licenses anymore...

    I hope someone calls the Senator on this crap. It amazes me how little they seem to use simple common sense to make decisions.

    As for Apple's response I really am not surprised. They are always quick to pull apps even on silly reasons as this one.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 10:45am

    So better that the senator does nothing, and let's the app continue on.

    Sounds perfectly reasonable.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Killercool (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:25am

      Re:

      It is perfectly reasonable. Glad you agree.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Atkray (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 3:22pm

      Re:

      Yes it is better if he does nothing.

      I think that if all 100 senators did nothing things would be much better. (I realize that is an oversimplification but I think my point is clear)

      Every time one of them "does something" it creates more problems than it was supposed to fix.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jake, 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:10am

    Actually, I can kind of see Sen. Casey's point, even if it's not really the app's fault that store clerks or low-level government officials who check IDs semi-regularly are as susceptible to lapses in professionalism as the rest of us. I mean, would you always remember to look for the hologram and insist on handling the card to inspect it, even at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon?

    This doesn't excuse him lobbying Apple to unilaterally pull the app, mind you. I'm sure the developers would have been willing to modify the images enough to be visibly different from a real license even without the hologram stuff if he'd contacted them with his concerns directly instead of going over their heads.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 12:10pm

      Re:

      Have you looked at a licence lately? They are covered in watermarks and holograms, no printer is going to do a remotely good job of reproducing that from a image template.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ima Fish (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:11am

    "Waitwaitwaitwaitwait. ... what? 'Laminate?'"

    Combined with some carbon paper, a carbon paper press, and some laminate, you could be genuine, certified ID thief... in the 80s.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Miff (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:16am

    > ... which they can easily print ...

    On an iDevice!?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    c.David, 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:18am

    Clarification: Lamination

    Older state driver’s licenses and IDs (many still valid today) have a thin layer of laminate over the top of the card usually containing holograms or other security features. This is what the Senator means by lamination rather than the library card/gym membership lamination found in low quality IDs. The problem with older laminates is that they can be removed and placed on other IDs or the biographic information underneath can be altered then re-laminated.

    As for the quality of state IDs, there are still some states without good quality security features and anyone can purchase holograms or magnetic strip encoders to create IDs that won’t fool professional examiners but might be good enough to get you into a bar or cash a check.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      A Dan (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:27am

      Re: Clarification: Lamination

      Ah, that at least makes a little more sense. I hope that if someone's bothering to buy a fake holographic laminate, they would have a better source for their fake template than an iPhone app.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:34am

        Re: Re: Clarification: Lamination

        They probably would, which renders his point invalid, as well as Casey's.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:33am

      Re: Clarification: Lamination

      No need for your overthought clairification, he said "easily print, laminate and use"

      I'm pretty sure what you're talking about isn't what the average card faker (IE: 17yr olds buying smokes and 20yr olds buying beer) is capable of with a printer and a laminating machine

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Joe Publius (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:52am

        Re: Re: Clarification: Lamination

        Hey, never underestimate the ambition of youth. When I was that age, I was more than capable of playing Master of Orion for 14 hours straight. Lost most of the summer of '94 to that little game, which was practically nothing compared to "The Summer That Civ 2 Ate".

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 12:07pm

          Re: Re: Re: Clarification: Lamination

          Civ 3 almost got me kicked out of college. "Just one more turn. I swear."

          link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      DC, 13 Dec 2011 @ 7:17pm

      Re: Clarification: Lamination

      Federal IDs are fundamentally against constitutional law. Have you thought about that?

      Nice team you have here in the comments.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        btr1701 (profile), 14 Dec 2011 @ 4:23pm

        Re: Re: Clarification: Lamination

        > Federal IDs are fundamentally against
        > constitutional law. Have you thought about
        > that?

        That would seem to present quite a conundrum then. How are federal agents supposed to identify themselves when needed if it's unconstitutional for them to possess a federal ID?

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:49am

    Over-reaction? Definitely. But he does have a point: anything that could be misconstrued for real, state-issued ID (let's face it, there ARE idiots who could get fooled) is probably illegal. It's just like you can't put flashing lights on your car or paint it a certain way "just for fun". A technicality, but there was no need to broadcast it like it was some major achievement. A discreet email would have sufficed; this makes Casey look like an idiot making a mountain out of a molehill.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Nasch, 13 Dec 2011 @ 1:38pm

      Response to: Anonymous Coward on Dec 13th, 2011 @ 11:49am

      Sure but that doesnt make it wrong to sell flashing lights.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        btr1701 (profile), 14 Dec 2011 @ 4:25pm

        Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Dec 13th, 2011 @ 11:49am

        > Sure but that doesnt make it wrong to sell
        > flashing lights.

        It is illegal in some states to sell red-and-blues for non-police vehicles.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:50am

    We ken haz strikie-thru featurez?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 11:53am

    Missing the real point threat

    Sure, good on Sen. Casey for taking a courageous stand against identity theft, but he's missing the app that's the real threat.

    There's a game in the app store right now that teaches suicide bombing! Thanks to Apple's negligence children, some in this very country, are being taught to kill capitalist pigs by sacrificing wave after wave of martyrs in order to bring their buildings down upon them! It's a despicable cartoonified 9/11 over and over again! When is Sen. Casey going to put an end to this?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 12:08pm

    OMG!?

    Now what will all those criminals do?

    They might have to use a paint program instead.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Michael Long (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 12:39pm

    Nice to know that the good Senator can find the time to deal with a major issue like this.

    It's not like we have massive unemployment or a national economy that's in shambles and that needs serious attention...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 1:04pm

    No holograms required...

    I just replaced my DL. A temporary b/w version was printed on paper and given to me. Not laminated. No holograms. Just a scannable blob that very few have a scanner/database to check against.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      heyidiot (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 1:16pm

      Re: No holograms required...

      Try to get a passport with it, then get back to us.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Vincent Clement (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 1:40pm

      Re: No holograms required...

      In the Province of Ontario, they may issue a temporary paper DL that you must use in conjunction with your expired plastic DL. They even put a sticker on the expired DL about the temporary DL.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Josef Anvil (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 1:06pm

    Ouch

    Reading that article actually hurt my head. Does Senator Casey's state offer free Excedrin?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 1:54pm

    Who needs an app?

    Just need a hookup at the DMV:

    In September 2005, eight people, including Ronald Henry, a former police officer working for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, were arrested for issuing hundreds of Pennsylvania driver’s licenses and commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens using breeder documents—in this case, legitimate birth certificates from Puerto Rico—to pose as U.S. citizens. Altagarcia “Grace” Rosario, with fellow conspirators, would provide these breeder documents to Henry, who would use them to fulfill Pennsylvania identity requirements for driver’s licenses but then would falsify records indicating that driver’s license testing had been passed and that the individuals were entitled to a license.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Scooters (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 2:20pm

    Thanks for including a direct link to this idiot's website. I sent a message to him, topic of "Education", and ask he get some before ever making a public statement again.

    Chances are, though, since the message came from the internet, he may not take kindly to me using my real name, address, and phone number, as well as my email, because I'm not a threat to the NSA.

    Then again... hold on, there's a knock on my door...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    New Mexico Mark, 13 Dec 2011 @ 3:23pm

    Great... just great...

    The app's been deleted from the app store, so now only ID faking, toupee bombing, pope-abusing terrorists have this "one-click(tm) to general naughtiness" app? No chance for anyone else to get in on the ground floor???

    That reminds me of what my great-grandpappy used to say, "If apps are illegal, only criminals will have apps." My great-grandpappy was a wise man and ahead of his time.

    However, this does make me wonder what set Mr. Casey off on this particular rant in the first place, because that level of indignation usually means it's something personal.

    My working theory is that his youngest daughter printed, laminated, and presented to him a fake driver's license showing she was actually a 25 year-old bleached blonde gold digger. He didn't see the lamination or check for a hologram carefully enough and fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

    Obviously he didn't want to get caught with someone like that in his house, so he handed her the car keys and let her head off to the nearest drinkin', carousin', wimmin-gone-wild party with his blessing. This whole brouhaha was just fallout from his embarrassment when his wife got home and asked where their daughter was. Suddenly he realized she's not a 25 year old gold digger, she's actually 14 and way too young for such shenanigans. "Yeah... fool me once..."

    But this isn't limited to Mr. Casey. I, for one, am thankful this horrible app can't fall into MY daughter's hands. There's no way I can memorize all the driver's license attributes of all fifty states. With this incredibly powerful technology at her disposal my otherwise smart, responsible daughter would have at least 49 chances to fool me into believing she is:

    * One of her teachers at school who just needs a "blanket permission slip for everything in perpetuity" signed
    * A little old man who only drives 35 miles an hour and wants to borrow my car for the weekend so he can take it in for an oil change and tune-up
    * A refugee from the planet Alderaan who barely escaped before her planet was destroyed and for some unknown reason needs to borrow my credit card in order to get outfitted in the latest cool teen fashions. (Actually, I'd catch on to that one, because cheap knock-offs of Alderaanian Class I Landspeeder licenses are SO obvious.)

    And that's just my daughter. Heaven only knows what this software could have enabled less responsible people to do if left unchecked. I feel safer already.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    fb39ca4, 13 Dec 2011 @ 5:50pm

    No doubt this app is already on Installous/Apptrackr.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2011 @ 6:06pm

    1. Question. For those who already downloaded this app, is it still on their phone like the tricorder a while ago or was it erased along with the app itself?

    2. This does nothing, it's security theater, no more no less.

    3. Congratulations on buckling down to pressure Mr. Cook. You just lost any form of respect.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    TtfnJohn (profile), 13 Dec 2011 @ 7:39pm

    Other than the fact that the maker of the app says the "license" is an obvious fake which is hard to print and is pretty much useless as a piece of fake ID.

    Even if it wasn't I suspect that it would do less to bring on terrorists than to add a few hundred thousand candidates for shows like "Canada's Worst Drivers" on the roads than any real sort of security threats. (Watching shows like that makes me want to start one called "Canada's worst driving testers".)

    Licenses on both sides of our borders are plasticized have built in RFID and other junk designed to replace passports to that Canadians and Americans can move back and forth across "the world's longest undefended border" with the ease we could before W got all concerned about false reports that the 9-11 bombers came into the USA on ferries that travel between Nova Scotia and Maine.

    Made passport offices rich mind you and gave the respective federal governments a badly needed injection of cash.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      A Dan (profile), 14 Dec 2011 @ 2:28pm

      Re:

      "Licenses on both sides of our borders are plasticized have built in RFID and other junk designed to replace passports"

      You mean EDLs? Those are fairly rare. If your license doesn't have three lines of strangely-shaped text on the back starting with "IDUSA", "IDCAN", etc., you don't have an RFID chip.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    I am down under, 14 Dec 2011 @ 3:08am

    Does anyone have a reliable time estimate for when Casey will receive a "Statement of Attainment" for having achieved the critical thinking abilities of a 6 year old?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2011 @ 7:47am

    No self respecting thief/terrorist will ever jailbreak their Apple device and install this app outside of the Apple store.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 19 Feb 2012 @ 5:12pm

    Google the Washington Post article from July 31, 2011 "Latest counterfeit IDs are so good they’re dangerous". Interesting read.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    informed_citizen, 19 Dec 2013 @ 9:39am

    to those specifically thinik an app is a bad idea.

    If I wanted to. With even mild photo editing software either on PC laptop tab or druid, a license or the like could be made. That's not the difficult part, even if you mind your up's and g's and your set up is A-,a,or for the place that I had mine before I now don't need one- A+, its not so much all that crap, its the thickness and minute (not time, like size, probably has another spelling), the edged are curved ever so slid;ethyl. And even if you find a decent graphic design center willing to work with you with "educational custom holographic stickers man", they're actual color scheme, the mechanics and power for starters that go in to creating those annoying bucking stickers is next to rocket science, they can fool a bouncer no doubt. I was 23 for 8 years if u catch me, but one 3 occasions they said I know something is off with this, even for out of state. And once they said you have 2 options, 1 HALLS-Police, confiscation, charges, record, reputation, etc etc etc;;; or. being that I was 13 and it never failed, they wanted my info. being that a place just a block away charged me twice as much for something 1/3 of the quality... what do u think I did? And for u innercity-minded people out there- its not snitching, they were doing the lovely youth of out democratic country a great disservice by not only volunteering to. but in fact making 300% the profit they comparably should have been due to the fluctuation in what I refer to as art, now, if youre a 13yo reading this. who happens to be able to pull off 22 just doesn't have proof... lets see, XX was always a nice way to start a handle in my day, loverboii is rather self descriptive (and I have given up a life of crime and grime years ago, and will give that story as well. since we used to end handles the same way we started them, id go along with that and since I feel like i'm the last person with a muscle between their ears and nose that has electrostimulation from time to time, "1" would be a lovely way to end a handle/nickname if anyone was going to, oh and by the way... did u know google is ruling the world now,,, EVEN EMAIL ADDRESSES ;),
    I condone nothing, information Is free. its power. And its legal, its some actions that greatly seem to be otherwise and I am against those. but as a semi-retired (im still under 25 damnit don't think im decrepit)graphic designer whos moving into the world of cosmetology nursing aesthetics massage and some form of electrology. if theres information im familiar with first hand, I will be giving the facts to anyone whos curious, and just a little fyi for all you "UUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FAKE ID" yea a good one costs less than $20 to make, this day and age its the barcodes and shit that have to be registered which is, like anything else with patience and determination, possible. for the last time im going to reiterate, I was a 16yo run away. learned everything I could from anyone and everywhere I could. went to school. stable now, if it weren't for just a couple of these "frowned upon" tricks tips and trade of the world. id be in a pretty shitty place right now.my number one vow and one ill never break. First, Do Harm to None. now if this forum allows emails im a douce and need to retype, any questions or comments. feel free, xxloverboiixx1@gmail.com , if they're anything but inquisitive or positive, they will be added to more spam lists than you though was possible with ur "junk mail" blockers and nice-idea buttons.
    Happy Holidays Everyone. If I get my wish I'll be moving to Goa ASAP for the remainder of my days and freelance remotely.

    also, for everyones safety, these aren't my words, don't condone their insinuation, but when everyones worried about technological this and techno that, you realize peroxide fertilizer is getting extremely easy to find in the middle of us countries, not that u can call someone using that now can u

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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