From remote sensors associated with the Internet of Thing to inserting hidden identifiers into components and products, the markers used in the fight against counterfeiting perform one or more of the following functions:
Authentication (through unique identification techniques)
Track & trace (via two-dimensional codes, RFID or NFC tags and so on)
Anti-tamper / anti-alteration (such as, for example, tamper labels and electronic seals)
GUIDE TO ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TECHNOLOGIES
From electronic identification or tracking devices to how to place markers on products or packaging to the use of chemical, physical and mechanical solutions to including digital tools there are several ways to combat counterfeiting anti counterfeit code.
In general, anti-counterfeiting technologies provide tools that help determine if a product is genuine or fake, or if it has otherwise been the subject of fraudulent activity.
In recent years, additional tools and standards have been added as add-ons such as blockchain, used in combination with other technologies to enhance overall anti-counterfeiting defenses and new ISO standards on anti-counterfeiting technologies that provide guidelines and best practices for choosing authentication solutions.
ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES
Electronic anti-counterfeiting technologies all involve the association of data and goods with the aid of particular electronic devices. These devices allow you to uniquely identify, authenticate and track any type of item, providing the same product specific information and / or providing access to a database where master data is stored. There are five types of solutions, but the most common are those based on radio frequency identification associated with the IoT and which perform the remote recognition of objects, vehicles, plants, animals or people. The types are listed below:
RFID (Radiofrequency IDentification)
NFC (Near Field Communication)
Sensors
Electronic seals
THE MARKING TECHNOLOGIES
As the name suggests, marking technologies work by marking products with unique safety features, through the application of graphic templates or special coding systems.
The main purpose is to authenticate rather than identify products. The security that markers provide against reproduction and tampering comes either from the nature of the technology itself (for example the chemical and physical characteristics of an ink) or from the information it contains (for example in a graphic pattern). In the first case, security is provided by a visual indication while, in the second, security derives from the difficulty of cloning or reproducing the information. In some cases (for example in the presence of a barcode, it can constitute part or the whole of a marking technology or it can be incorporated into it) markers can support product traceability by allowing products to be registered as they move along the supply chain.
