Compare the S/Mark® to an authenticating hologram. How are they the same and how are they different?
For a hologram, the embossing plates used to make it are kept private on behalf of the manufacturer. Field inspection of the hologram on the product provides evidence of authenticity so long as the plates used to make it have been kept secure. Similarly, field inspection of the message decrypted from a S/Mark® digital signature provides evidence of authenticity so long as the private key used to make it is kept private and secure. However, the similarity ends at this point and the differences are remarkable. While all holograms are mass produced to be identically the same, S/Marks® are produced to be uniquely different from one another in all instances. No two are alike. Any duplicates of S/Marks® are evidence of counterfeiting and field inspection software detects this. Counterfeiters cannot mass produce valid S/Marks® without knowing the private, secret key. On the other hand, if a counterfeiter makes good copies of the hologram embossing plates, he is positioned to mass produce hard
