Cell Phones and a Cashless Society

Cell-All Smarter Phone is DHS' Version of the Tricorder

April 19, 2010

FCW - Remember the tricorder, that ubiquitous, do-everything handheld tool featured in the Star Trek TV program? Take a handheld computer, wave it around in front of a person to diagnose illnesses, or hold it up in the air during field mission to detect chemical elements or energy sources. That device was one of the best examples of the ingenuity of science fiction.

Now, in a case of life imitating art, Star Trek science fiction is rapidly turning into science fact, and it seems that government agencies are at the leading edge of the research and development.

We’ve already pointed to the interest that the military has in developing Apple iPhone-like applications for its warfighters. Nothing specific right now other than it wants to investigate how the Army can enhance the iPhone; given the past history of wartime innovations, we should expect some eye-popping innovations from soon.

Now comes the news that the Homeland Security Department (DHS) is developing something it’s calling Cell-All, which will marry a smartphone with sensors capable of sniffing the air around it so it can isolate toxic chemicals. There are obvious uses for emergency responders, but also for military and other personnel looking for things as such hidden explosives.

DHS is looking to the telecommunications side of smartphones to help it develop linked sensors that could cast a broad and sensitive net of sniffers.

What these advances are taking advantage of is the acceleration in development of ever smaller, cheaper and more specialized chips along with faster and denser memory technologies.

Predictions just last year were that it could take 15 years for such things as wireless health sensors to appear, but you have it wonder what the projections will be at the end of 2010. The DHS, for example, is looking to have prototypes of its Cell-All device in a year.

Citing Terror, Lawmakers Crack Down on Prepaid Cells

June 8, 2010

AP - Alarmed by the use of hard-to-track prepaid cell phones by terror suspects, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Texas Sen. John Cornyn have introduced legislation requiring consumers to produce identification before buying such phones.

The bill has been praised by law enforcement and has bipartisan support, even as civil liberties groups have raised privacy concerns and some terror experts say it won't deter bad behavior. Schumer, a Democrat, and Cornyn, a Republican, are hoping to schedule hearings on the bill through the Judiciary Committee.

Schumer has urged Attorney General Eric Holder to back the measure. Prepaid phones can be a lifeline for people with limited incomes or poor credit, allowing them to purchase a device and a limited amount of calling time without commiting to a costly contract.

Phone companies sold $16 billion worth of prepaid cell phones last year, and the devices are hugely popular in both the U.S. and countries around the world.

But since the phones can be purchased anonymously and are thrown away after use, they've long been a favored tool of drug dealers, gang members and even white-collar criminals looking to cover their tracks.

In recent years, such phones also have been linked to suspected terror activity -- including that by Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American accused of plotting to bomb Times Square. Law enforcement officials said Shahzad had used a prepaid cell phone to purchase a car in which to hide the bomb and to communicate with co-conspirators in Pakistan.

A handful of states and several countries require registration to purchase a prepaid cell phone. In an interview, Schumer said the

Shahzad case, combined with the growing use of prepaid cell phones in criminal cases, had persuaded him that federal regulation was needed.

"Law enforcement has a legitimate need to surveil, let them surveil,'' Schumer told The Associated Press, adding, "you can make sure privacy is protected."

That's not a view necessarily shared by civil liberties groups and other advocates of digital privacy, who say they have both legal and practical objections.

"The Supreme Court has always upheld the principle that you have the right to speak anonymously -- that the decision to identify yourself as a speaker is an aspect of speech itself,'' said Lee.

Tien, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Tien also noted that many people, especially younger ones, regularly swap phones and SIM cards and buy used cell phones, further blurring the identity of the phones' users and owners.

"For a variety of reasons, this doesn't sound like a "get off the ground' kind of idea,'' he said.

Schumer disagreed, saying the identity of prepaid cell purchasers would be kept private by phone companies in the same way the identities of regular cell and landline phone owners are protected.

So far, no major phone company has objected to the legislation and some say they fully embrace it.

"We are living in a time when unfortunately our public safety rquires small gives by everyone,'' Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said.

Still, Jack Cloonan, a former FBI special agent and counterterrorism specialist, said the legislation would not prevent terror plotters from getting access to the communication tools they need.

"The bottom line is the terrorists, whether they're the Pakistani Taliban or whether they're closely aligned with al-Qaida, use technology to their advantage,'' Cloonan said. "They try to stay ahead of us and we're always playing catch up.''

Lawmakers Crack Down on Prepaid Cells, Cite Terror

June 8, 2010

Associated Press – Two lawmakers say it's time for prepaid cell phone users to identify themselves.

New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (SHOO'-mur) and Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn (KOHR'-nihn) have introduced legislation requiring consumers to produce identification before buying such phones.

That's rattled some civil liberties groups, who say the bill may threaten privacy rights.

Prepaid phones can be a lifeline for people with limited incomes or poor credit.

But since they can be purchased anonymously, they're a favored tool of drug dealers and other criminals looking to cover their tracks.

Prepaid phones also have been linked to suspected terror activity.

Authorities say accused Times Square bomb plotter Faisal Shahzad (FY'-sul shah-ZAHD') used one to purchase a car in which to hide the bomb.

VeriFone Announces iPhone Secure Payments Solution

December 8, 2009

PYMNTS.com - VeriFone Holdings, Inc. today announced PAYware Mobile, a complete payment solution for the Apple iPhone that provides small businesses with simple and secure card processing capabilities on the popular smartphone platform.

VeriFone’s payment solution for the iPhone (www.paywaremobile.com) puts mainstream payment processing capabilities in the hands of small business merchants who need a mobile card acceptance solution for enterprises such as home repair, small cafes, door-to-door sales, or virtually any other type of business. The hardware and software solution will begin shipping January 15 and is available free to those who sign up for a PAYware Mobile secure gateway service agreement.

PAYware Mobile includes a PA-DSS approved payment app and a sleek and durable card reader that slips over the iPhone to accommodate card swipes and allow merchants to avoid high-cost “card-not-present” fees. The combined hardware and software provides the strongest card payment security available for the iPhone, including VeriFone’s VeriShield Protect end-to-end encryption solution as a standard feature.

“The complete PAYware Mobile solution brings secure payment capabilities to merchants who previously could not justify a dedicated payment acceptance device. We believe this represents a potential market of millions of small businesses worldwide,” said VeriFone CEO Douglas G. Bergeron.

“Banks and processors are concerned about the security issues of unapproved merchants using unregulated software and insecure fobs to accept card payments,” Bergeron added. “PAYware Mobile leverages VeriFone’s proven payment and security expertise to provide the ultimate in end-to-end protection against payment fraud and misuse on an open and unregulated platform such as the iPhone.”

VeriFone’s iPhone payment solution will be available through existing bank acquirer and ISO channels, as well as direct from VeriFone. VeriFone also expects to eventually make PAYware Mobile available wherever mobile phone accessories are sold. Customers who sign up directly with VeriFone without existing merchant accounts will be directed to a variety of payment processor options.

PAYware Mobile is connected to First Data, and will be available for shipment through TASQ Technology, a First Data company.