How Banksy Authenticates His Work

There’s nothing cryptographic about this. It’s a central authority that either says “yes it’s real” or not. The system revolves around trust in that central authority. Everyone can easily fake a certificate which cannot be independently falsified without asking that central authority, who will be more likely to check their books than to do anything related to the actual certificate.

Drug traffickers use the same technique as receipts for drug drops: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=20484197" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=20484197</a>

I&#x27;m missing something here.<p>Anyone can produce a torn-in-half &quot;Di-faced&quot; fake banknote with Lady Diana&#x27;s face on it, with a handwritten ID number across the bill.<p>Hell, I&#x27;ll validate your Banksy pieces for £64.<p>Where&#x27;s the authenticity coming from, and whats even the point of the torn note?

Couldn&#x27;t I sell a fake Banksy with the real authentication?

This probably should be considered in the context of the work that shredded itself once the auction was completed. You&#x27;d think twice about having your expensive &quot;Banksy&quot; authenticated after the fact by sending it away to parts unknown.<p>There&#x27;s always someone dumb enough in the art world or someone who wants the story and has far too much money.<p>I quite like Banksy, tbh, but overexposure is a thing.

Possibly not great for any artists maintaining anonymity&#x2F;pseudo anonymity but...<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Body_fluids_in_art" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Body_fluids_in_art</a><p>Semen, due to the ability to sequence the DNA and difficulty obtaining a sample, is a fine genetic watermark.

the original meaning of &#x27;symbol&#x27; meant this -- it was basically a ticket stub used to authenticate a document<p>(it only took on its modern meaning in a 16th century poem)<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.etymonline.com&#x2F;word&#x2F;symbol" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.etymonline.com&#x2F;word&#x2F;symbol</a>

Somebody named Banksy using a bank of bank notes for authentication?<p>Sounds like a old joke with newfound currency to me.

Similar way of doing business as the drug cartels <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=20484197" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=20484197</a>

Neat way to protect authenticity especially within art