Security Feature Validation¶
Definition¶
Modern identity documents contain multiple physical and digital security features — holograms, UV patterns, microprint, watermarks, and NFC chips. Validating these features confirms the document is a genuine government-issued original.
Security Feature Types¶
| Feature | What It Is | Verifiable via Camera? |
|---|---|---|
| Hologram/OVD | Optically variable device that changes appearance with viewing angle | Partially — multi-frame video capture |
| UV features | Patterns visible only under ultraviolet light | No — requires UV light source |
| Microprint | Extremely small text visible only under magnification | Partially — high-res camera |
| Watermark | Pattern embedded in document material | Partially — with backlighting |
| Intaglio printing | Raised ink detectable by touch | No — requires physical inspection |
| Laser perforation | Micro-holes forming patterns | Partially — with backlighting |
| Security thread | Embedded metallic thread | Partially — with close-up |
| Color-shifting ink | Ink that changes color with viewing angle | Yes — multi-frame capture |
| NFC chip | Cryptographically signed digital data | Yes — NFC-enabled phone |
Hologram Detection via Camera¶
graph TD
A[Multi-Frame Video Capture] --> B[User tilts document]
B --> C[Detect color/brightness changes<br/>in expected hologram region]
C --> D{Expected hologram response?}
D -->|Yes - optical change detected| E[✅ Hologram present]
D -->|No change - likely flat reproduction| F[❌ Hologram absent]Key Takeaways¶
Summary
- Most security features cannot be fully verified through a phone camera alone
- Holograms can be partially verified by detecting optical variability in multi-frame video
- NFC chips provide the strongest remote verification — cryptographically signed data
- Phone-based eKYC relies primarily on document forensics + document liveness rather than physical security features
- V-KYC agents can instruct users to tilt documents for hologram verification