Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

Mobile phone security steps forward with biometrics

Monday, July 14, 2008

New smart phones in development from a number of mobile phone vendors are seeing biometric authentication added in for the rising demand of increased security, according to a PDA Street article.

Companies such as ClassifEye, AutheTec, Atrua, and Tranzda are all developing biometric security options for mobile phones, mostly fingerprint scanners as a form of unlocking the phone.


As mobile devices use for both personal and professional means are on the rise, companies believe that biometric security will allow for more personal and corporate transactions to take place via the mobile devices.

Read the full story here [end] 

XING has announced that the newest version of its Android mobile app now contains support for NFC.

XING’s 11 million members can now exchange contact information wirelessly through a new feature called “XING Beam.” According to XING, the feature is activated when two XING members call up their profile on their NFC-enabled Android device and then hold the two devices next to each other.

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Visa, in partnership with Monitise, has launched a suite of new mobile financial services on its revamped Debit Processing Service platform, enabling mobile phone users to check their account history and balances, transfer funds between accounts, and receive real-time transaction alerts.

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ValidSoft partnered with Opus Research and released a report titled “Voice Biometrics Authentication Best Practices: Overcoming Obstacles to Adoption” that predicts the technology will be deployed in payment authentication assuming the best practices it lays out are followed.

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CoVantage Credit Union (CVCU) announced the availability of Tyfone’s mobile wallet services throughout its branches in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Some 64,000 CVCU members can now use Tyfone’s mobile banking services, which include balance checking, account history review, fund transfers, branch and ATM location look-up, as well as several new features:

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Turkcell, Turkey’s largest mobile operator, has announced the launch of a SIM-based NFC road toll payment application on the Turkcell T11 smart phone.

Developed in collaboration with Bank Asya, the app allows users to migrate their plastic KGS toll payment cards onto their T11 smart phone to pay for fares when crossing bridges and freeway turnpikes.

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it will hold a workshop on April 26 to examine the use of mobile payments and how this emerging technology impacts consumers.

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