Tech Bytes: Encrypted ID Links Document, Bearer

AuthX Inc. has introduced a "self-authenticating" technology for cards and documents.

The system uses information from a photograph and text to create an encrypted signature that is applied to the document. Capable of storing biometric information as well as a picture and text, the AuthX signature "can unambiguously link the bearer and the document while confirming that it has not been altered or forged," said Richard Bock, president of the New York-based company.

AuthX contends that by using its technique on smart cards, the cards' digital memory space can be freed for other purposes.