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Tokyo (pte025/23.05.2003/13:41) - The European Central Bank (ECB) is considering integrating radio chips into its bank notes, reports Japanese news agency Kyodo http://www.kyodo.co.jp .
Supplied by the Hitachi group, which Kyodo cites as its source, the chips could make it harder to produce counterfeit notes. The ECB http://www.ecb.int has not commented on the deal.
Many devices used to test the authenticity of notes become ineffective when security features wear off. The chips would provide an additional security marker. They could also facilitate processes such as the counting of bank notes.
According to Hitachi, the so-called "Mu-Chip" is the size of a grain of sand, making it the smallest functional radio tag on the market. When contacted it can transmit a 128-digit number - big enough for a serial number, the value of the note and its place of origin. The data can only be stored during the production of the chip. Hitachi first tested the Mu-Chip successfully in February.
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