News and insight into biometric identification and authentication

Research points to wider acceptance of biometrics in Australia

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Research called the Unisys Security Index performed by technology developer Unisys has yielded results claiming Australia’s citizens are in overwhelming support of adopting biometrics to better secure their personal or sensitive data, according to an IT Wire article.

Officials from Unisys are reporting that the results seem to mostly be due to rising concerns over electronic fraud and identity theft as well as other personal security issues.


Further results included 33% of Australians being concerned over the government and financial industries abilities to safeguard personal information and fears over misuse of their personal financial information topping the list of fears.

A Unisys VP has come out to address the results as a positive thing for the biometric market including that the seven out of ten that do trust their financial organizations security while also being willing to utilize biometrics to better secure their data could lead to smoother adoption of the technology.

Read the full story here[end] 

Office Depot has joined Home Depot as the second U.S. retailer to test PayPal’s point of sale payments solution, according to TG Daily.

Customers at select Office Depot stores can now make payments directly from their PayPal balance by simply punching in their mobile phone number and PayPal PIN. The solution requires only a software update at the point of sale for the merchant, and customers do not need to use a payment card, contactless fob or NFC-enabled phone to make a transaction.

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The European Association for Biometrics (EAB) is focusing on a goal of driving the research and development of biometrics and building the future of the industry around a concern for end-user privacy protection.

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Research In Motion (RIM) has partnered with Tapit, a Sydney based NFC marketing company, to launch a campaign in Australia that uses NFC-enabled posters and tokens to share content for BlackBerry users.

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MasterCard Australia has announced that more than 1 million contactless PayPass transactions were recorded during the month of August.

According to Insider Retailing, this marks the first time that PayPass “Tap and Go” payments have surpassed the 1 million transaction milestone since the technology was introduced in Australia several years ago, indicating growing acceptance of contactless payments.

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India’s government has called a truce in the ongoing argument between the Ministry of Home Affairs’s National Population Register (NPR) project and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), reports the Indian Express.

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United Arab Emirates (UAE) travelers prefer making payments via mobile rather than using cash or credit card, according to a recent survey commissioned by travel technology and transaction processor Amadeus.

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