Tag: mobile payments

Mobile commerce platform embraces biometric technology

| September 19, 2014

Alipay to adopt biometric technology to make mobile payments much more secure than they are currently

Apple may not be the only name in the biometric game. Alipay, the prominent mobile payments platform from China’s Alibaba, is preparing to launch its first biometric-based identification system. Biometric technology is becoming more important in the field of mobile commerce. Because this field has to do with the trafficking of financial information, security is a major priority for the industry as a whole. Biometric technology can help ensure the security of a person’s financial information while using a mobile device.

Biometric technology from Nok Nok Labs to be used on Galaxy S5 devices

Alibaba plans to enable secure online payments through fingerprint scanners on Samsung Galaxy S5 devices in the near future. These devices are equipped with biometric technology that will allow for secure mobile payments through the Alipay mobile application. The Alipay Wallet will also take advantage of this technology, replacing the password it needs with a fingerprint instead. The technology that is being used for this purpose comes from Nok Nok Labs.

Mobile security continues to receive relatively little attention, especially when it comes to matters of digital commerce

mobile commerce - biometrics security technologyMobile commerce security is a major issue that has received only modest attention in recent years. Despite the massive number of people that have embraced mobile payments, relatively few of them take steps to protect their financial information when shopping online. Some mobile commerce platforms also lack the security solutions needed to protect their users, which has lead to serious problems for certain companies in the past.

Biometric technology could make people much more comfortable with the concept of mobile commerce

Biometric technology is one of the most aggressive solutions to the security problem. A hacker can exploit the security faults of mobile devices and applications, but mimicking a person’s biometric information is a much more difficult task. Using a fingerprint to keep a mobile device secure could introduce a greater degree of security to the mobile commerce space and make people much more comfortable with shopping online from a mobile device.

Bad news for Apple’s mobile payments initiative

| September 19, 2014

NFC-enabled iPhone 6 will only work with the Apple Pay platform

Apple has some bad news about the iPhone 6 and Apple Pay. The famed technology company recently revealed its new device and mobile payments service, both of which have been well received by consumers. The iPhone 6 garnered praise for its inclusion of NFC technology, something that iOS users have been wanting for some time. The NFC-enabled iPhone will allow consumers to make use of a variety of mobile commerce platforms, or would have done if not for Apple Pay.

Apple is closing off the iPhone’s NFC chip to developers during the initial launch of the device

The NFC chip embedded in the iPhone 6 will only work with the Apple Pay platform. Apple is opting to keep the NFC chip closed off from developers during the initial launch of its new device and service. This is similar to what Apple did with its Touch ID biometric sensor that was introduced with its previous iteration of the iPhone. Though Apple has declined to comment on its future use of NFC technology, sources have confirmed that the company’s use of NFC will currently be restricted to Apple Pay.

NFC technology continues to make up the backbone of mobile commerce

Apple Mobile Payments - NFC TechnologyNFC technology has made up much of the infrastructure that supports mobile payments. This technology allows for digital information to be transmitted over short distances, which is ideal for mobile commerce solutions. The problem with NFC-based systems is that they can only be accessed using NFC-based devices. So, a device that is not equipped with an NFC chip cannot use a mobile commerce solution that makes use of NFC technology.

Apple has a troubled history with NFC technology

Apple has had some concerns regarding the security of NFC technology in the past. Some platforms have fallen prey to malicious attracts, some of which have exploited NFC in a way to gain access to consumer financial information. Apple may still be leery of this technology, which is why it is limiting its use of NFC to the Apple Pay platform.