British supermarket offers ‘finger vein’ payment in worldwide first — The Telegraph — “It works by using infrared to scan people’s finger veins and then links this unique biometric map to their bank cards. Customers’ bank details are then stored with payment provider Worldpay, in the same way you can store your card details when shopping online. Shoppers can then turn up to the supermarket with nothing on them but their own hands and use it to make payments in just three seconds.”
Biometrics
Apple to release Face ID security paper
Interview: Apple’s Craig Federighi answers some burning questions about Face ID — Techcrunch — “Federighi also noted on our call that Apple would be releasing a security white paper on Face ID closer to the release of the iPhone X. So if you’re a researcher or security wonk looking for more, he says it will have ‘extreme levels of detail’ about the security of the system.”
Apple engineering chief answers Face ID queries
Apple’s Face ID feature works with most sunglasses, can be quickly disabled to thwart thieves — Macrumors — “‘If you don’t stare at the phone, it won’t unlock,’ he wrote. ‘Also, if you grip the buttons on both sides of the phone when [you] hand it over, it will temporarily disable Face ID.'”
US Senator asks Apple CEO to clarify Face ID privacy concerns
Sen Franken presses Apple to address privacy concerns over iPhone X’s ‘Face ID’ technology — Senator Al Franken — “Substantial questions remain about how Face ID will impact iPhone users’ privacy and security, and whether the technology will perform equally well on different groups of people. To offer clarity to the millions of Americans who use your products, I ask that you provide more information on how the company has processed these issues internally, as well as any additional steps that it intends to take to protect its users.”
iPhone X to combine face recognition and a side button double click for Apple Pay
iOS 11 GM leak reveals details on Face ID, Apple Pay, wireless charging, and A11 chip in iPhone X — MacRumours — “The iPhone X will authenticate a payment using facial recognition, with payment confirmed using a double click on the side button (sleep/wake button) of the device.”
ANZ first Australian bank to roll out voice ID for mobile banking
ANZ first Australian bank to roll out voice ID for mobile banking — ANZ — “This is a significant security update that will make it easier for our customers to complete high-value transactions on their smartphones… Customers can now make ‘Pay Anyone’ payments of more than A$1,000 on their mobile without needing to log into internet banking, or remember additional passwords or pins.”
Alipay launches ‘Smile to Pay’ for commercial use in China
Alipay launches ‘Smile to Pay’ for commercial use in China — Alizila — “Smile to Pay, the first service of its type, debuted at a KFC’s new, healthy-food concept restaurant, called KPRO, in Hangzhou. With it, Alipay users can authenticate their payments through a combination of facial scanning and inputting their mobile phone numbers. That means they won’t need to break out their wallets — or even smartphones — anymore.”
Visa moves to kill PINs by pushing Aussie banks towards biometric authentication
Visa moves to kill PINs by pushing Aussie banks towards biometric authentication — The Australian Financial Review — “A new Visa security roadmap outlines a four-year process for Australian banks to adopt new standards for e-commerce transactions, designed to streamline the purchasing process and reduce fraud, while implementing new information-sharing practices and tokenization technology.”
Face ID described as iPhone 8’s ‘crown jewel’, unlocking device in ‘a few hundred milliseconds’
Face ID described as iPhone 8’s ‘crown jewel’, unlocking device in ‘a few hundred milliseconds’ — MacRumours — “The front-facing 3D sensor on Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 will be the device’s ‘crown jewel’, able to unlock the iPhone 8 in a ‘few hundred milliseconds’ to give users quick access to their smartphone and quickly authenticate Apple Pay purchases.”
Bank issues primary school kids with NFC smartwatches that let them make payments and track pocket money
Singapore’s POSB bank has provided 6,000 primary school children with smartwatches equipped with fitness tracking and mobile payments capabilities in a bid to “teach students how to save and spend wisely by helping them track their savings and spending habits digitally.”... More
European consumers give thumbs up to biometric payment cards
Nine in ten consumers taking part in the first European trial of a biometric payment card developed by Mastercard say they “would upgrade or probably upgrade” their favourite card to one that includes the biometric security feature if it was available, a survey by issuing bank UniCredit Bulbank has found... More
Bank of America, Samsung pilot iris-scan logins
Bank of America, Samsung pilot iris-scan logins — American Banker — “Half of the bank’s mobile app users are using fingerprint authentication, which BofA rolled out in 2015. In addition to the iris scanning pilot, it is exploring the use of facial scanning and voice recognition.”
iPhone 8 facial recognition will likely work with Apple Pay
iPhone 8 facial recognition will likely work with Apple Pay — MacRumours — “We’ve already seen confirmation that Apple is working on facial recognition in the iPhone 8 through a recent HomePod firmware release, and now additional information found in the code confirms Apple has a mechanism for authenticating Touch ID payments with a face scan instead of through a fingerprint.”
How facial recognition could replace train tickets
How facial recognition could replace train tickets — BBC News — “A facial recognition system designed to replace the need for tickets on trains is being tested in the UK… An early version that uses two near-infrared lights to help a single camera determine texture and orientation of each pixel it captures was shown to BBC Click… Researchers told the programme that they believe it will successfully identify passengers without the need for them to stop walking and could replace ticket gates.”
Facial recognition technology to replace passports at Australian airports
Facial recognition technology to replace passports at Australian airports — ZDNet — “New technology will be rolled out at Australian airports that will eventually see the end of ‘known passengers’ producing their passports when arriving in the country. Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said on Wednesday the new AU$22.5 million, three-year contract will initially see 105 new smartgates rolled out that will enable passengers to be processed using facial recognition.”
TSB to roll out iris scanning tech
TSB to roll out iris scanning tech — BBC News — “Imagine logging onto your bank account just by glancing at your phone. That’s what some TSB customers will be able to do from September when the bank introduces iris recognition to its mobile banking app… Customers will need the latest Samsung Galaxy S8 to use the new way of accessing their TSB accounts.”
Mahindra Comviva expands payment options for merchants in India
PARTNER NEWS: Mahindra Comviva has enhanced its PayPlus mobile POS solution to enable Indian merchants to accept payments via Aadhaar, Bharat QR, UPI, card and mobile wallets through a single interface... More
Khushi Baby adds biometric security to NFC health records
Khushi Baby, a service that uses NFC necklaces to track the healthcare given to mothers and babies in India, has added biometric security to its platform to further protect the personal information of patients... More
Viewpost survey reveals 80% of Americans support ‘futuristic’ payment technologies and currencies
Viewpost survey reveals 80% of Americans support ‘futuristic’ payment technologies and currencies — Viewpost — “35% see facial recognition as a key authentication technology for making payments within the next ten years, and 32% of Americans trust facial recognition for securing electronic payments. Retinal scanning and voice control — these advanced biometric methods have gained traction in consumers’ consciousness, with some 31% citing retinal scanning as a viable technology for authenticating payments and 18% seeing themselves using voice control to make payments by 2027.”
Apple tests 3D face scanning to unlock next iPhone
Apple tests 3D face scanning to unlock next iPhone — Bloomberg — “For its redesigned iPhone, set to go on sale later this year, Apple is testing an improved security system that allows users to log in, authenticate payments, and launch secure apps by scanning their face, according to people familiar with the product… The company is also testing eye scanning to augment the system, one of the people said.”