Developer of Fake Driver's License App Responds to Apple

[Otaviano]

Who the heck cares that this stupid app that doesn't even serve a purpose got removed from the app store? Personally I'm glad it got removed, we need less crap apps in the app store.

Why does this thing even need to be in the app store anyway. Why does everything need to be turned into an app. This retarded thing could be made a web app. Work the same and be free of a middle man controlling it.

 

[0815]

Really -- posters are defending this app?!

The premise is deeply disturbing, and it is ridiculous to think the average ID check is familiar with IDs from across the country. So the notion that simply perturbing the layouts and fonts is sufficient to thwart misuse... well, maybe that makes sense to a geek, but I doubt law enforcement would agree.

Assuming you don't live in my state, would you be able to discriminate a fake Illinois license from a legitimate one? How about one from Vermont or New Mexico?

Dave

I don't care about this app ... never used it, not planing to use it.

However, what I care about is the implications this has on apps in general (and the stupidity it shows about our Senators who apparently have too much time on their hands).

And I am fairly sure that even in Mexico people know that Drivers Licenses are NOT printed in low quality on cheap ink jets ... and anyway: Outside of the US, the drivers license has no value as ID (maybe in Canada, but nowhere else)

 

[The Great Boony]

1) The developer who could now be unemployed, and his/her family.
2) All other developers and dev companies for reasons mentioned by 0815 above.

100's of 1000's of people are losing their jobs every quarter, maybe we should set up a page for each of them too?

 

[1town]

Nevermind

 

[Dwalls90]

Low quality prints shouldn't trick anyone - if it does and really effects our national security, than this country has a bigger problem than this app


.. and again: You can get better results by just using Photoshop.

Exactly ... fake ID's are everywhere. If they really wanted to put an end to it, then they would just give every place that checks ID's a scanner

 

[SwiftLives]

The iPhone's resolution is 960x640. That translates to 3x2in. x 2.13in. An actual drivers license is roughly the size of a business card - 3.5in x 2in. So there is some validity to the concern about being able to create a fake with the app - simply by taking a screengrab and mailing it to yourself.

 

[Acorn]

i dont know i think creating an app like this is sorta asking for it. yea lets create a fake id app. no one will care. saying its fine because its not "good enough" is not an excuse to make it ok.

people are pretty good with ids when its their home state or nearby but when you start getting ids from different states on the other side of the country its not like you could possibly know what every state looks like.

I guess the key is to look for the hologram these days.

 

[0815]

The iPhone's resolution is 960x640. That translates to 3x2in. x 2.13in. An actual drivers license is roughly the size of a business card - 3.5in x 2in. So there is some validity to the concern about being able to create a fake with the app - simply by taking a screengrab and mailing it to yourself.

Try photoshop while it is still legal to use .... way better results.


I just wish Senators would do the job and solve the real problems of this country instead of wasting their time with BS, from which they probably hope to get some good headlines.

 

[diddl14]

For gods sake, its a **** app, who cares?

Front page news? I think not.

As a Unites States Senator, I urge this person to be banned from this Forum and the Internet as such.

This person poses a substantial threat to national security and public safety in the way he pretends to speak on behalf of God and the rest of our great nations population.

A terrorist could use this behavior to initiate mass infiltration of our minds and start an irreversible act of self destruction of our freedom and values.

Bob

 

[Steve's Barber]

All it needs is a stupid senator claiming it is something potentially illegal without understanding anything

You guys keep blaming some silly-assed Senator for this. He has no legal jurisdiction in the free market - just a scary pompous title.

Cowardly Apple is the one with no testicles and will continue to throw their developer base under the bus on these issues. Sometimes I think Apple forgets it's the consumer who fills their coffers with cash and not the government.

Amazing how Congress has time to chase crap like this.

 

[0815]

You guys keep blaming some silly-assed Senator for this. He has no jurisdiction on this - just some scary pompous title.

Cowardly Apple is the one with no testicles and will continue to throw their developer base under the bus on these issues. Sometimes I think Apple forgets it's the consumer who fills their coffers with cash and not the government.

Actually, I blame both, the stupid Senator that started this and Apple for not standing up to this stupid accusation.

If you would have read the full post you wouldn't have missed the second part that said: "and Apple being too careful and removing it "

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Assuming you don't live in my state, would you be able to discriminate a fake Illinois license from a legitimate one? How about one from Vermont or New Mexico?

Dave

I'm looking at my Illinois DL right now. It is covered in security features that immediately jump out at me. It's got a holographic state seal and the word "ILLINOIS" stamped all over it at a 45 degree angle that changes color when I tilt it, as well as a bunch of tiny color change state seals and swooshy lines all over.

There is no way I could reproduce this with any commonly available consumer technology, and there's no way I would fall for a fake one. Anyone in a position to check ID can be taught to spot a fake one in under 5 minutes. If they can't tell the difference, they have no business holding that responsibility.

 

[dotme]

100's of 1000's of people are losing their jobs every quarter, maybe we should set up a page for each of them too?

Yes. Anyone who posts in a thread by saying "who cares?", must themselves care enough to read and comment on the original story. So I'll amend my previous answer and add

3) You care

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Again Senators need to learn what their jobs are and Bob is an idiot who should be fired.

No, I think Bob is onto something here. By removing this one app, our nation's surplus spending habits will be irradiated. This will fix the economy! Reelect Bob; he has saved the free world!

 

[nagromme]

I agree, the app should stay, and homeland security need have no problem with that!

I can also see that in theory, a really BAD fake ID can still be used—with a careless store and someone who lost their glasses—to get a kid drunk and wrapped around a tree, dismembered. However, making a really BAD fake ID can be done in many ways, most without the obvious fake cues of this app. That theoretical potential scenario doesn’t trump free speech. Ban phone use while driving if you really want to keep kids (and the roads) safer!

And in general I disagree with how Apple, seemingly by policy, will pull an app first if someone's complaint seems even plausible, and THEN investigation can begin (this has happened without senators involved; like claims of IP violation where one dev got another dev’s app pulled BEFORE the matter was investigated fully). But given that that is the process, the investigation should happen and the app (which I could care less about) should return.

And yes, the national government has a To Do list much too long for this to be on it!

 

[joefrat]

I have a question

Why didn't the Senator have the courtesy to contact the developer first? This is like someone calling my mom to complain about me. I'm 45.

 

[Steelgrave]

Crap like this is why Apple's "Walled Garden" is just turning me off altogether. It's one thing to maintain adherence to the quality of software written, but judging the content of that software really shouldn't be there business. Granted I wouldn't use this latest app (and had never heard of it until it made the news), but just because I have no interest in it doesn't mean someone else would enjoy for it's intended purpose. And it's not just this app, there's been a long string of apps since the app store debuted.

Apple quite frankly is becoming the "Big Brother" they portrayed in the original Mac ad in 1984. Kind of sad in a way. I wonder what will be the metaphorical "runner throwing the sledgehammer at the screen"? hehe

 

[reedfisher]

Senator Casey -- certified moron

Senator Casey must be a Democrat! What an idiot! I think the app is cool, completely harmless, and agree with its creators that there is no way this could be used to actually falsify a driver's license.

So I disagree with Apple taking the app out of the App Store; we must have some morons there, too.

 

[SuperCachetes]

Anyone that falls for such a fake ID, on a PHONE none the less deserves, to be fired as a bouncer, bartender or clerk at an alcohol store.

The app maker is right here.

Uh, no. Incidentally, you can print and laminate the end product. It's not like you have to flash your phone to the ID-checker.

Apple has to stop these knee-jerk reactions without as much as consulting the developer. Its irresponsible and disrespectful to users and developers alike.

And I think developers need to stop churning out these BS apps based on ideas that are so clearly questionable. A fake-ID maker? A DWI checkpoint locator? Give me a break. There are plenty of clever little apps to be devised that can make a guy some money, without stooping to farts, fake IDs, "stupid tests," or apps to make your friends' faces fat.

If you want the questionable stuff, you are still free to jailbreak your phone and install what you see fit. Apple is right to steer clear of this junk.

Low quality prints shouldn't trick anyone - if it does and really effects our national security, than this country has a bigger problem than this app

.. and again: You can get better results by just using Photoshop.

I agree that this is probably not a real threat to national security, but when I was 15 I had a $20 fake ID that was the wrong font, wrong color... it wasn't even the right agency. It also said my name was John Bonham. More often than not, it allowed me to buy beer and get into clubs. This, in a suburb of a major metropolitan area.

And yes, Photoshop can do it better, but probably not faster.

We are losing our freedoms quickly now in the US.

Yep, we're being oppressed. "Freedom to make fake IDs" is right there in the Bill of Rights, right?

 

[Kaibelf]

This kind of stuff is extremely bothersome to me.

Maybe it's the polite and borderline ass kissing rebuttal from DriversEd.com that these companies feel like they have to put out pleading in the wake of two very disruptive entities eg: Apple and the US government.

It just doesn't seem right that such a big deal is made out of something that doesn't exist, and then ruin the small guy's revenue stream because of the slippery slope or what "could" happen.

And then there's the way Apple is so accustomed to doing business too; just pulling apps? Software that THEY themselves take a slight cut from the sales thereof? Give me a break.

Poor small guy, with NO other ideas but a fake ID app.

 

[SwiftLives]

Try photoshop while it is still legal to use .... way better results.


I just wish Senators would do the job and solve the real problems of this country instead of wasting their time with BS, from which they probably hope to get some good headlines.

I own Photoshop. I'm aware of the results.

A little bit of content-aware fill and some cloning to remove some text, and you have a background image of decent resolution.

Hoever, in terms of creating the holographic seals and watermarks, the app wouldn't help much.

While I do think Apple overreacted by pulling the app, I still stand by my assertion that there was some validity to the complaint.

 

[Steelgrave]

And I think developers need to stop churning out these BS apps based on ideas that are so clearly questionable. A fake-ID maker? A DWI checkpoint locator? Give me a break. There are plenty of clever little apps to be devised that can make a guy some money, without stooping to farts, fake IDs, "stupid tests," or apps to make your friends' faces fat.

What "you" think? Who made you the barometer of what people should and shouldn't have. What you call "stooping" other people find entertaining. It's not up to you.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

The "newlyweds" on the license look like brother and sister. Check it out: same shape of face; same noses; same mouths. Couples like that are funny and disturbing.

Are you a non-white who think all white people look the same?

 

[gkpm]

Maybe someone should make a fake money printing app: just make sure to put "Mock bill by FakeMoney.com" in very tiny letters like this one.

Then await the rejection (may be delivered by the FBI) and complain bitterly about it - bonus, free publicity for your website and front page news on several websites.

 

[alhedges]

And I think developers need to stop churning out these BS apps based on ideas that are so clearly questionable. A fake-ID maker? A DWI checkpoint locator? Give me a break. There are plenty of clever little apps to be devised that can make a guy some money, without stooping to farts, fake IDs, "stupid tests," or apps to make your friends' faces fat.

People are glossing over the fact that using the app to print out a fake id is actually illegal. It doesn't matter whether you could use it to get on a plane or whether you could fool someone used to looking at IDs. It's illegal to use and that is enough reason for Apple to pull it. (And it's not like being unable to use this joke app is a great loss).

If you want the questionable stuff, you are still free to jailbreak your phone and install what you see fit. Apple is right to steer clear of this junk.

I do sometimes think Apple draws the line in the wrong place for some apps, but drawing the line at illegal apps (or DWI checkpoint apps) seems a good place to draw it.

And yes, Photoshop can do it better, but probably not faster.

Photoshop is also much more expensive, is complicated to learn how to use, and doesn't come with a database of state driver's license designs.