Photoshop Creative Suite Analyzes Images for Illegal Content

Adobe User Forums ^ | 1/10/2004 | Web board comment

[Richard Kimball]

We received a TIFF image from a customer, of a $20 bill. The image does *not* violate any laws regarding reproduction of currency (it's not even close to actual-size, and it's not a "flat" portrayal - it's wavy, as if it's fluttering in the wind. Nor is it real-color.

However, Photoshop CS refuses to open the image, and provides an error message regarding the (il)legality of currency reproduction and an "information" button that takes you to the web. (Photoshop 7, of course, has no such qualms).

What the hell is this? In my book this is completely unacceptable - Photoshop is an image editor, not a censor, government policy enforcer or anything else.

Adobe, you've got some explaining to do.

Brian

[Richard Kimball]

I've got to LO for a while, but before I leave, I agree with you. I've already sent an email to a reporter friend of mine, and I think the first step is finding out WHY this technology is being incorporated and who is requiring it.

[RhoTheta]

Ping

[Tigermoth]

Some of the color copiers that I work on will go into lock down if you try to copy money. It will give you a code, and you have to call the FBI to clear the code, so they can investigate it. It's not something that they take lightly.

[Lokibob]

I have used photo shop7 and Paint Shop Pro 8 and, IMHO, PSP 8 has it all over photoshop. It is intuitive, and does super. Of course, like the PC/Apple arguement, or the MS word/ word perfect arguement, it all depends on what you first learned.

Both have a long learning curve, and both have lots of help online.

A word of warning about PSP8, however, if you download the free version and use it for a few days, you WILL want to buy it.

[solitas]

On the Macintosh side: try "Little Snitch" (try MacUpdate and versiontracker). You can set it to intercept ALL outbound traffic for inspection and authorization-to-send.

[Prodigal Son]

Is paint shop pro 8 free? I'm a cheap SOB.

Well, it's cheaper than Photoshop. I'm an Adobe share holder and I don't own Photoshop- I use Paint Shop Pro. PSP is the average man's Ferarri. It is roughly the Ford Mustang of image editors.

[Hildy]

If this is your biggest worry in life, consider yourself lucky.

[Fatalist]

Try Gimp for Windows. It's free, open source, and has far more features than I'd ever use (though that isn't saying all that much).

[Nick Danger]

it's not even close to actual-size, and it's not a "flat" portrayal - it's wavy, as if it's fluttering in the wind. Nor is it real-color.

Pattern recognition software certainly has come a long way. Recognizing currency under those conditions, in any reasonable amount of time, is amazing.

[JCG]

Not only does it keep intruders out of your machine, it keeps software running on your machine from connecting externally without your knowledge.

Yes, but only once. After you've "allowed" the program it'll connect and, barring some kind of monitor program, you'll never know it.

America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
http://12thman.us/media/jihad.rm (Requires RealPlayer)

Who is Steve Emerson?

[Richard Kimball]

If this is your biggest worry in life, consider yourself lucky.

Yeah, I never post or think about anything except my biggest worry in life. Thanks for your brilliant analysis.

[MississippiMan]

Actually, I would suspect that if they do not notify the customer on purchase that this feature exists in the software, there are certain contractural violations

Nah. When you buy--more accurately, when you license--any piece of software these days, you pretty much agree that they're not responsible for ANYTHING.

MM

[tdadams]

It appears that any image with currency as an element will not open.

This could be a serious setback for the rap music industry. They'll have to buy all new software to make their CD covers. No more bling bling with Photoshop.

[spodefly]

...my toes were cold this morning...but they warmed up.

Dullest Blog In The World?

[cynwoody]

SoftIce ... You only need to change one bit of the program. You just have to find the right bit! It will still detect the bill, but it won't care anymore.

[anotherone]

from: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/7678415.htm

Posted on Sat, Jan. 10, 2004



Adobe admits to anti-copy code
REGULATORS, BANKERS ASKED THAT IT BE ADDED TO PHOTOSHOP
By Ted Bridis
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Adobe Systems acknowledged Friday it quietly added technology to the world's best-known graphics software at the request of government regulators and international bankers to prevent consumers from making copies of the world's major currencies.

The unusual concession has angered scores of customers.

Adobe, the world's leading vendor for graphics software, said the secretive technology ``would have minimal impact on honest customers.'' It generates a warning message when someone tries to make digital copies of some currencies.

The U.S. Federal Reserve and other organizations that worked on the technology said they could not disclose how it works and would not name which other software companies include it in their products. They cited concerns that counterfeiters would try to defeat it.

``We sort of knew this would come out eventually,'' Adobe spokesman Russell Brady said. ``We can't really talk about the technology itself.''

A Microsoft spokesman, Jim Desler, said the technology was not built into versions of its dominant Windows operating system.

Rival graphics software by Taiwan-based Ulead Systems also blocks customers from making copies of currency.

A rare agreement

Experts said the decision by Adobe represents one of the rare occasions when the U.S. technology industry has agreed to include third-party software code into commercial products at the request of government and finance officials.

Adobe revealed it added the technology after a customer complained in an online support forum about mysterious behavior by the new $649 ``Photoshop CS'' software when opening an image of a U.S. $20 bill.

Kevin Connor, Adobe's product management director, said the company did not disclose the technology at the request of international bankers. He said Adobe may add the detection mechanism to its other products.

``The average consumer is never going to encounter this in their daily use,'' Connor said. ``It just didn't seem like something meaningful to communicate.''

Angry customers have flooded Adobe's Internet message boards with complaints about censorship and concerns over future restrictions on other types of images, such as copyrighted or adult material.

.... continued at link above.

[neutrino]

Fascinating! I'm glad I didn't upgrade...

[B Knotts]

[Richard Kimball]

My concern is not the ability to edit photos of money. My concern is that the photographic image software reads images to look for "illegal content." As I stated previously, I use PS 7 which does not use this technology. While there might be a situation where I want to use money as a graphic image, the action itself is a relatively minor issue.

My question is, what else can the imaging analysis recognize, and to whom does it get reported?

[SauronOfMordor]

I guess you can do a lot of arm twisting if you have the power to order no more government purchases of their product.

You can do even more when you can threaten an IRS audit of each member of the Board of Directors, or threaten to indict the executives as co-conspirators when somebody uses their stuff to conterfeit after they refused to insert anti-counterfeiting software.