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Mobile commerce sees formation of new partnership

| February 9, 2013

Mobile Commerce - PayLeap and Spindle PartnershipPayLeap and Spindle team to boost mobile commerce services

PayLeap, a company specializing in payment processing solutions, has announced its partnership with Spindle, a leading mobile commerce provider. The two companies have signed a strategic agreement that is designed to combine their solutions and technologies for the benefit of the global mobile commerce market. Such partnerships are becoming more popular throughout the mobile commerce sector as smaller companies find it nearly impossible to meet global demand for the services they provide on their own.

Companies to combine technologies and services

The PayLeap platform operates as a payment gateway, collection financial information from consumers and offering payment processing services to businesses. The platform supports in-store payments as well as those made through e-commerce sites. PayLeap also boasts of several security features, such as fraud management and secure checkout, in order to provide more safety for mobile commerce initiatives. Spindle offers businesses a variety of mobile commerce services, couponing, and loyalty programs.

Consumers demand better mobile commerce services

Through this new partnership, Spindle and PayLeap will combine their services and technology to provide consumers and businesses with more robust solutions in their given markets. These solutions may be well-received in industries that have been struggling to adopt mobile commerce per the demands coming from consumers. Those with mobile devices have been itching to participate in mobile commerce in markets in Europe and Asia, but there are still relatively few services that cater to these consumers, creating a promising opportunity for Spindle and PayLeap.

Partnerships could help small businesses compete against large companies

While the partnership will give both companies the ability to reach a wider audience, it will also help them compete against larger companies that have established strong presences in mobile commerce. Google is one such company and its Google Wallet platform has become a popular mobile commerce solution for consumers. Smaller companies may find it difficult to compete with a corporation the size of Google, hence the increasing frequency of partnerships being formed between such companies.

Mobile security in a poor state according to US FTC

| February 5, 2013

Mobile Security FTCMobile security attracts attention of FTC

Mobile security is a potential catastrophic problem, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection. The federal government has been pushing for more comprehensive mobile security measures to be put in place throughout the country. Mobile applications and the information they collect from consumers has, thus far, been the primary focus of the government’s mobile security concerns, with the FTC aiming to hold applications developers and companies responsible for the information that they collect.

FTC targeting companies collecting consumer information

The issue of mobile security has become more pronounced since the FTC filed a case against Compete, a search marketing firm. Compete uses technology to collect personal data from consumers using its services, without providing these consumers with information about how this data will be used. In the case,  the FTC has prohibited the company from collecting consumer information without the express consent of the consumer. The FTC also closed several cases against companies concerning the use of software that was being used to deliberately spy on consumers.

Google runs afoul of federal government

Google was also targeted by the FTC in late 2012 for circumventing the protocols of Apple’s Safari Internet browser to introduce users to targeted advertisements. The massive technology company was fined a record setting penalty of $22.5 million for breaching mobile security standards. FTC officials are likening the current state of the country’s mobile security practices to the “wild, wild west,” suggesting that many companies operating in the mobile space have little to no concern for mobile security.

Mobile security recommendations coming from the FTC

The FTC is currently developing recommendations concerning mobile security standards titled “Building Trust Through Transparency.” These recommendations are meant to help ensure the protection of consumer information, keeping this data safe from exploitation by marketers and similar groups. The initial recommendations will focus on companies collecting information from mobile consumers. In the future, the FTC will focus more closely on application developers, hoping to further bolster mobile security for consumers.