News Update : Very Soon, 'Selfies' To Verify Online Payments

Washington: MasterCard is experimenting with a smartphone app which allows people to confirm their identity and authenticate online transactions via a facial scan.

Users will have to download the MasterCard phone app and at checkout they will be asked to hold up their phone to stare and blink at it.
"The new generation, which is into selfies...I think they'll find it cool. They'll embrace it," said Ajay Bhalla, security expert at the American financial services company MasterCard.

Currently, users can set up something called "SecureCode," which requires a password when shopping online.

However, passwords can be forgotten, stolen, or intercepted.

MasterCard is launching a small pilot programme involving 500 people that uses fingerprints - but also facial scans to verify online transactions, 'CNN Money' reported.

MasterCard said it has partnered with every smartphone maker to make this method of verification possible. MasterCard said a pop-up will ask for authorisation after people buy something. They can choose fingerprint or facial recognition. Users who choose facial recognition have to stare at the phone and blink once.

MasterCard's security researchers believe blinking is the best way to prevent a thief from just holding up a picture of a person and fooling the system.

MasterCard said it does not actually get a picture of the user's finger or face. All fingerprint scans will create a code that stays on the device.

The facial recognition scan will map out a user's face, convert it to 1s and 0s and transmit that over the Internet to MasterCard.

Mr Bhalla said MasterCard is also experimenting with voice recognition, so people may be able to simply approve an online transaction by speaking to their phone.

MasterCard is also working with a Canadian firm, Nymi, to develop technology that will approve transactions by recognising a person's unique heartbeat.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, July 05, 2015

NEC Drops Lenovo Stake; 'No Impact' On PC, Tablet Business

Summary: NEC has sold its 281.1 million shares in Lenovo, despite the PC maker's booming success, in a bid to claw back its investment to stay afloat. Lenovo shrugs it off and says there's no impact on its NEC-partnered joint venture.

Cash-strapped technological innovation company NEC has marketed its whole discuss in Lenovo as the Japoneses company asserts with continuous financial problems.

But Lenovo said the discuss purchase would not effect or damage the PC and product company coalition that the two organizations started upon last Jan as part of initiatives to force further into the profitable Japoneses industry, despite the company's stocks losing by more than 8 percent on Wed following the shift.

Roderick Lappin, Lenovo's vice-president and professional chair of partnership Lenovo NEC Holdings, performed down the discuss purchase. Discussing to Reuters, he said:

    Actually, NEC could offer those stocks after two years anyway as per agreement. All we have done is to let them do it 10 months previously. This has no keeping on our partnership.

It was said previously this weeks time that the financially-troubled company would offer its whole discuss to pull back money, despite Lenovo's flourishing company and its predicted shift to the top of the list of international PC contractors.

Dow Jackson Newswires revealed last night that NEC would offer its 281.1 thousand stocks it has HK$6.30 (US$0.81) to HK$6.50 (US$0.83) per discuss.

NEC is having difficulties to keep its head above the water. In Jan the company cut 10,000 tasks -- a 10th of its international employees -- in a bid to cut expenses amongst difficult financial times and prediction failures in the following sectors.

Lenovo, however, remains the number two PC manufacturer by revenue, and is set to take the top-spot top later this one fourth following HP and Dell's decrease in PC deliveries quarter-on-quarter.

While the PC company's partnership with NEC will keep pay attention to Asia, Lenovo is constantly on the flourish to other marketplaces, particularly BRIC countries -- South america, Italy, Indian and Chinese suppliers -- with the latter the car owner of most of the company's revenue bar the U. s. Declares.

Lenovo is "close" to splitting even its growing industry areas, though its South america platform remains very much in the red due to high transfer taxation and a poor submission design, according to Morgan Stanley.

 

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, September 05, 2012

There's Only One Business Case For BYOD -- Productivity

Summary: The movement to let employees use their own gadgets for work is growing, with more companies big and small letting personal devices into the cubicle. While some companies see BYOD as a cost saving, that's not a good reason to embrace BYOD.

The Carry Your Own System (BYOD) trend has only been around for a brief while, and it is increasing all the time. What began with some employees forcing to use their individual mobile mobile phones for perform has extended to consist of pills and laptops. Some lovers like to use their own equipment at perform, and more and more organizations are implementing the exercise for different factors.

Whether a organization is a Lot of money 500 company or a little start-up, there is really only one purpose to allow employees to BYOD. Improved efficiency from employees using their own valuable devices is the only purpose to do it.

The exercise shouldn't be considered as a way for the organization to spend less, and I listen to from people every day that see this at perform. No, organizations should only allow employees to use their own devices if it creates them more effective at perform.

No issue how informally organizations strategy BYOD, there are long-term consequences and expenses that will be a outcome. Protection is a big concern, as employees anticipate independence when using equipment compensated for out of their own wallet. They won't take please to a company lock-down of their cellphone or product.

Allowing employees to take their own equipment to preserve the company cash is the toughest purpose of all for BYOD. This is company, and organizations must pay their own way to perform. Placing the problem of purchasing equipment on the employees is going to jepardize at some point. People are fast on the usage, and once they determine you're enjoying them your spirits will container.

Companies little and big are trying to determine how to apply BYOD in the best way for their company. The protection issues are not simple, and assistance of individual gadgetry a prospective problem for the business. Most organizations will come to understand that enabling employees bring their own equipment expenses them cash in the lengthy run.

While it may seem to be a spirits enhancer to let employees use their own iPhones and Android operating system mobile phones, the advantages to the organization of doing so are quite little. Especially when you evaluate those advantages to the prospective issues it creates.

If providing their own equipment to perform outcomes in a big leap in efficiency, then and only then will the exercise bring benefits. All other advantages are simple and possibly expensive to the organization in the lengthy run. This is no different than any other exercise impacting the employees.

We've been grousing about the option of substandard components our organizations foist upon us for years. But we've used it proficiently because it was needed of us to do so. That hasn't modified just because of BYOD. The main point here is what is in the organization's best interest?

 

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, August 15, 2012