This week at Mobile ID World mCommerce and biometric cars were the focus of conversation, while our sister site FindBiometrics examined five different modalities that show diversity in mobile biometrics.
Among the biometric solutions that received mention in the FindBiometrics list was the Nymi wristband from Bionym. The Toronto startup made the news over here too, thanks to its completion of a $14 million series A funding round. This recent period of investment included bids from MasterCard, Salesforce Ventures, Ignition Partners and Relay Ventures.
Alibaba kept us talking about mobile payments for yet another week, announcing that it has joined the FIDO Alliance board of directors. The news came just a week after the announcement that Alibaba’s payments business, Alipay, would be implementing FIDO. Alipay joins PayPal as one of the first companies in the world to deploy FIDO’s protocol in securing payments.
Payment via smartphone is a huge topic in our industry right now, with Apple reeling in consumers to it’s new Apple Pay mobile wallet. The payment solution launched on Friday with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which broke sales records for the Cupertino company. Over last weekend, Apple put biometrics and mobile payment capabilities into the hands of over 10 million users.
Of course, with a biometric smartphone launch comes the now obligatory race to spoof the fingerprint sensor. Marc Rogers – principal security researcher at Lookout – took it upon himself to fool the iPhone 6 in order to see if security had been improved after the 5S model. The short answer is that no measurable improvement was made but that doesn’t mean consumers should give up on fingerprints (Apple sure isn’t going to). In a blog post describing his spoofing project, Rogers explains why he still thinks Touch ID is awesome.
Finally, two news items this week had us thinking about a place for biometrics on the road. In its regular search for new Apple patents, online publication Patently Apple uncovered an application from Ford describing a biometric car that uses fingerprint sensors and vital biometrics to authenticate drivers.
Toyota, meanwhile, announced that it will be showing off it’s Driver Awareness Research Vehicle (DARV 1.5) at the coming week’s Meeting of the Minds summit in Detroit. Using advanced technology, including the Microsoft Kinect and custom biometric software from Infosys, the DARV 1.5 offers examples of new ways for drivers to interface with and feel safe in their cars.
Stay posted to Mobile ID World throughout the coming week for even more identity management news as it happens. Follow us on Twitter so you don’t miss a beat.
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