Appleton, Wis. –  Appvion Operations, Inc. (“Appvion”), has joined NASPO (North American Security Products Organization) members to create a new U.S. Standard that defines the minimum security requirements for the design, production and supply chain of all United States Birth Certificates.

This standard, "ANSI/NASPO BC 2019, Minimum Security Requirements for United States Birth Certification Documents", was developed by NASPO International and the American National Standards Institute, along with a committee of industry experts and interested parties.

The NASPO/ANSI standard was created to protect against fraud and establishes the minimum security technologies that should be incorporated into birth certificates for authentication, as well as the minimum requirements for manufacturing and distribution to vital records offices.

Mike Caffrey, Appvion’s Independent Security Consultant and a member of the NASPO Board of Directors, participated as a committee member and supported recommendations to the standards organizations. Partnering with State and Federal jurisdictions and other industry security subject matter experts, a new minimum security standard to protect United States Birth Certificates was established. Methods of fraud, counterfeiting, duplication, and alterations were reviewed to determine the best way to strengthen the design, production, and supply chain of these documents.