GDSC Lead in Islamabad Develops Proof of Concept Android Application to Prevent Counterfeiting

This content originally appeared on Google Developers Blog and was authored by Google Developers

Fighting Counterfeit Currency in Northern Pakistan with Technology

Counterfeit currency remains a significant issue in smaller and remote towns of Pakistan, such as the Gilgit Baltistan region of Northern Pakistan. Ahsan Aman, a Google Developer Student Clubs (GDSC) Lead at COMSATS Wah University in Islamabad, grew up in a small town in the region and watched citizens and shopkeepers become victims of counterfeiting.

Counterfeiting is defined as the act of imitating something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise with the intent to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value than the real thing.

When Ahsan’s mother received a fake 5,000 Rupee note from a shopkeeper, Ahsan decided there must be a technical approach to address the problem. Ahsan believed a mobile application could offer a way for ordinary people who can’t afford the sophisticated authentication technology banks use.

“It was clear that common people didn’t have the means to verify or differentiate between real and fake notes,” says Ahsan. “This made me wonder if today’s technology could be employed to address this problem.”

With the support from his GDSC mentors based in Islamabad and his local GDSC chapter, Ahsan embarked on a project to build an android application that aimed to identify counterfeit currency. Ahsan’s Android mobile application, 5Hazar, provides a proof of concept for a counterfeit detection mobile application that would enable users to scan currency notes and identify counterfeit money.

The Road Ahead

“I strongly believe that even as student programmers, we have the opportunity and privilege to improve the lives of people around us with the technology we build,” Ahsan says. “I encourage every student to find and take part in such opportunities where you can learn, connect, and grow.”

Google Developer Student Clubs (GDSC) are community groups for college and university students like Ahsan who are interested in Google developer technologies.

With over 1500+ chapters in 113 countries, GDSC aims to empower developers like Ahsan to help their communities by building technical solutions. If you’re a student and would like to join a Google Developer Student Club community, look for a chapter near you here, or visit the program page to learn more about starting one in your area.

This content originally appeared on Google Developers Blog and was authored by Google Developers