Biometric Applications
In Consumer Electronics Expected To Surge
Mobile
commerce technologies are projected to highly accelerate in both number and
value of transactions, due to impending wide-scale integration of biometric
technology into smartphones. Research consultancy conducted by the Biometrics
Research Group late 2013 expects that worldwide mobile payment transactions will
reach $250 billion in 2014, with over 90 million smartphones with biometric
technology expected to be shipped in 2014.
Due to large number of new smartphones that will ship in 2014, Biometric Research Group expects that the smartphone mass market will drive rapid growth in consumer electronics biometrics by at least 35 percent over next five years. A major contributing factor in this growth will be increasing demand for personal devices that can conduct safe financial transactions.
Mobile payment transactions are further projected to reach $750 billion in annual transactions with more than 700 million users by 2020. Biometrics will speed mobile commerce, especially in North America, because the technology can offer a higher level of security, while providing an intuitive customer experience.
These statistics, published in Biometric Update.com,also reported that at least three-quarters of current smartphone users do not secure their devices with a passcode, potentially leading to compromise of the integrity of payment processes. “Smartphone Biometrics” such as fingerprint recognition, are touted as the ideal answer to the goal of securing the user login process in order to enable more dependable user identification.
The consultancy group predicted that Apple would initially lead in the deployment of such devices, due to fact that the firm is the first consumer electronics provider to introduce biometric technology to the global smartphone mass market. Apple did release the Phone 5S which features a fingerprint identity sensor, entitled Touch ID, built directly into the device’s home button.
Due to large number of new smartphones that will ship in 2014, Biometric Research Group expects that the smartphone mass market will drive rapid growth in consumer electronics biometrics by at least 35 percent over next five years. A major contributing factor in this growth will be increasing demand for personal devices that can conduct safe financial transactions.
Mobile payment transactions are further projected to reach $750 billion in annual transactions with more than 700 million users by 2020. Biometrics will speed mobile commerce, especially in North America, because the technology can offer a higher level of security, while providing an intuitive customer experience.
These statistics, published in Biometric Update.com,also reported that at least three-quarters of current smartphone users do not secure their devices with a passcode, potentially leading to compromise of the integrity of payment processes. “Smartphone Biometrics” such as fingerprint recognition, are touted as the ideal answer to the goal of securing the user login process in order to enable more dependable user identification.
The consultancy group predicted that Apple would initially lead in the deployment of such devices, due to fact that the firm is the first consumer electronics provider to introduce biometric technology to the global smartphone mass market. Apple did release the Phone 5S which features a fingerprint identity sensor, entitled Touch ID, built directly into the device’s home button.
Other
industry leaders and competitors such as Samsung were expected to follow with
similar biometric-based innovations on their mobile technology products and
related systems. As of September 2013, when Apple released the iPhone 5s, Apple
reportedly controlled 78% of biometric smartphone shipments, with Samsung’s
share standing at 22% and all others combined at 5%.
Samsung are no longer to be left behind on biometric innovations: in February 2014, BBC.com reported that the next iteration of Samsung's Galaxy smartphone range, the S5, would feature biometric security. The product reportedly unlocks the device, powers payments via the fingerprint scanner, and offers payment-by-finger via PayPal.
Apple’s acquisition of AuthenTec Inc. in 2012, allowed Apple to obtain most of the foundational technology patents for fingerprint biometrics, along with a broad patent portfolio consisting of 200 issued and filed patents in the United States. The acquired technology reportedly utilizes an embedded sapphire crystal sensor, and also encrypts fingerprint data directly into the iPhone’s new A7 64-bit processing chip, so that biometric information will not be stored in the cloud.
A separate and earlier report from Biometric updates.com quoted the Biometric Research Group expectation that biometric identifiers such as fingerprints would eventually supplant written Apple ID passwords. By 2015, it might even become possible “to purchase new Apple devices at its retail store using your thumbprint impression”. The research firm also expects that biometric technologies will also be integrated to “phablets”, or niche mobile smartphone/tablet hybrids, which are extremely popular in Asia.
Separate reports also seem to support the upward trajectory in consumer interest towards smartphone biometrics. According to a report published in Znet.com, (based on new research by mobile network maker Ericsson, which polled 100,000 people over 40 countries) about 74 percent of respondents said they believe biometric smartphones "will become mainstream" during 2014.
Samsung are no longer to be left behind on biometric innovations: in February 2014, BBC.com reported that the next iteration of Samsung's Galaxy smartphone range, the S5, would feature biometric security. The product reportedly unlocks the device, powers payments via the fingerprint scanner, and offers payment-by-finger via PayPal.
Apple’s acquisition of AuthenTec Inc. in 2012, allowed Apple to obtain most of the foundational technology patents for fingerprint biometrics, along with a broad patent portfolio consisting of 200 issued and filed patents in the United States. The acquired technology reportedly utilizes an embedded sapphire crystal sensor, and also encrypts fingerprint data directly into the iPhone’s new A7 64-bit processing chip, so that biometric information will not be stored in the cloud.
A separate and earlier report from Biometric updates.com quoted the Biometric Research Group expectation that biometric identifiers such as fingerprints would eventually supplant written Apple ID passwords. By 2015, it might even become possible “to purchase new Apple devices at its retail store using your thumbprint impression”. The research firm also expects that biometric technologies will also be integrated to “phablets”, or niche mobile smartphone/tablet hybrids, which are extremely popular in Asia.
Separate reports also seem to support the upward trajectory in consumer interest towards smartphone biometrics. According to a report published in Znet.com, (based on new research by mobile network maker Ericsson, which polled 100,000 people over 40 countries) about 74 percent of respondents said they believe biometric smartphones "will become mainstream" during 2014.
More
than half at 52 percent want to use their fingerprints instead of a complex
alphanumeric combination of letters, numbers, and characters, while just shy of
half at 48 percent are interested in eye-recognition technology to unlock their
phones.
So clearly, the battlefront for biometric smartphone applications between smartphone companies will not stop with fingerprints: eye/iris recognition technologies, as well as a whole array of biometrics approved so far, are poised to gain further attention and prominence once fingerprint-based mobile security applications become standard.
What’s nextnuance.com explains: “Recently, Gartner made the prediction that 30% of all companies will use biometrics on mobile devices by 2016, as reported by ZDnet. Biometric forms of authentication are being adopted by mobile platforms specifically for the increased experience and convenience they provide on-the-go users. The question that remains is which biometrics will experience the most rapid and widespread adoption? Amongst the key players are fingerprint, facial recognition, voice biometric, iris, and vein (such as vein-palm biometrics used by Fujistu.
Plenty of choice to make consumer mobile transactions and interactions more secure, while simultaneously adding “more bottom to the bottom lines” of the smartphone companies. But should everyone smile and live happily ever after? Not quite from the consumer side: the can of worms gate crashing this party would likely be the fact that these smartphones can be used to track such private and sensitive matters as your movements, social habits and telephone records.
An extract from a recent report that illustrates this point was published on 13th May 2014 by the UK Telegraph: “….The British government's intelligence agency, GCHQ, is facing legal action over its alleged use of hacking tools to infect computers and smartphones with malicious software, to remotely hijack users' cameras and microphones without their consent…. GCHQ agents are also reportedly able to surreptitiously log keystrokes entered into a device, extract data from removable flash drives that connect to an infected computer, identify the geographic whereabouts of the user, and retrieve any content from a phone, including text messages, emails, web history, call records, videos, photos, address books, notes, and calendars.
Fortunately legal recourse and privacy groups are available to help resist GHCQ excesses. In the US, the Washington Post has recently reported that a bill that would end the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records cleared a major hurdle in the House on Thursday (15th May) and will head to the floor, where it is widely expected to pass.
But unless and until these privacy protection battles are won, it seems like we will need to get used to a major risk : our highly convenient and supposedly secure smartphones may just as easily be someone else’s spy phones – spying on us, and with the biometric factor leaving little or no doubt as to our identity.
So clearly, the battlefront for biometric smartphone applications between smartphone companies will not stop with fingerprints: eye/iris recognition technologies, as well as a whole array of biometrics approved so far, are poised to gain further attention and prominence once fingerprint-based mobile security applications become standard.
What’s nextnuance.com explains: “Recently, Gartner made the prediction that 30% of all companies will use biometrics on mobile devices by 2016, as reported by ZDnet. Biometric forms of authentication are being adopted by mobile platforms specifically for the increased experience and convenience they provide on-the-go users. The question that remains is which biometrics will experience the most rapid and widespread adoption? Amongst the key players are fingerprint, facial recognition, voice biometric, iris, and vein (such as vein-palm biometrics used by Fujistu.
Plenty of choice to make consumer mobile transactions and interactions more secure, while simultaneously adding “more bottom to the bottom lines” of the smartphone companies. But should everyone smile and live happily ever after? Not quite from the consumer side: the can of worms gate crashing this party would likely be the fact that these smartphones can be used to track such private and sensitive matters as your movements, social habits and telephone records.
An extract from a recent report that illustrates this point was published on 13th May 2014 by the UK Telegraph: “….The British government's intelligence agency, GCHQ, is facing legal action over its alleged use of hacking tools to infect computers and smartphones with malicious software, to remotely hijack users' cameras and microphones without their consent…. GCHQ agents are also reportedly able to surreptitiously log keystrokes entered into a device, extract data from removable flash drives that connect to an infected computer, identify the geographic whereabouts of the user, and retrieve any content from a phone, including text messages, emails, web history, call records, videos, photos, address books, notes, and calendars.
Fortunately legal recourse and privacy groups are available to help resist GHCQ excesses. In the US, the Washington Post has recently reported that a bill that would end the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records cleared a major hurdle in the House on Thursday (15th May) and will head to the floor, where it is widely expected to pass.
But unless and until these privacy protection battles are won, it seems like we will need to get used to a major risk : our highly convenient and supposedly secure smartphones may just as easily be someone else’s spy phones – spying on us, and with the biometric factor leaving little or no doubt as to our identity.
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/May14/145.html#F8CF5tkmFB9YM4um.99
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