Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Warning! Crude “Voice Verification Process” used to Scam Businesses

An item out of Bakersfield, California (KERO 23) warns businesses of a new scam that uses a crude “electronic Voice Verification process.” Here’s how it works:

Let’s say you decide not to renew an existing contract (e.g., yellow pages advertising). The company calls you and asks you to confirm certain information, such as name, phone, etc., by providing “yes” and “no” answers to the questions. The company then claims that you answered “yes” to the terms of the renewal -- and will even play back a recording of you answering “yes” to the “renewal question.”

I can see this “process” being used to scam individuals as well. If you are a victim of this scam, immediately send a cancellation letter to the company. You may also want to contact the
Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Voice Commerce Introduces Cloud-Based Voice Biometrics e-Commerce Platform

A June 15, 2010 item on infosecurity.com discusses the introduction of Voice Commerce’s cloud-based voice biometrics e-commerce platform.

According to the article, there are two components to the platform – retailer and consumer. The retailer system, known as
On4, “allows retailers to instantly set up and run their online business (e.g., stock control, shipping management, etc.), processing transactions using voice biometrics to authenticate/authorize their online and mobile-based electronic payments.” On4 is linked in to the Voice Commerce Payment system.

The consumer system, known as
VoicePay, “allows consumers to set up their own voice biometric (base voiceprint) as an authenticator for use over the phone or mobile phone. The idea is that, once a user has set up their authenticator, any VoicePay-enabled retailer can use the biometrics and authenticate the user by simply calling him or her (and comparing the sample voiceprint to the base voiceprint).”

You may recall that I
wrote about a similar mobile shopping application back in March. Let the games begin!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Consumers Prefer Voice Above Other Biometrics

According to a
Unisys study, cited in an article on the sourcesecurity.com Website, “the biometric measures ranked by consumer preference are: voice recognition (32%), fingerprints (27%), facial scan (20%), hand geometry (12%), and iris scan (10%). This ranking seems to confirm that people prefer convenience and familiarity when choosing a biometric technology. “

Voice biometrics compared to other biometrics is:

1) User-friendly - speaking is natural and requires no special effort
2) Cost effective - verification is accomplished via telephone or microphone
3) Convenient - enables remote verification of a person’s identity

Monday, June 7, 2010

Implanted Microchips to Verify Identity?

An article in the June 5, 2010 Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) describes how one man is using an implanted radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip to verify his identity when he logs on to his computer, unlocks his car, etc. Washington State resident Amal Graafstra is one of approximately 300 people worldwide who have had an RFID chip implanted in their body. In Mr. Graafstra’s case, the chip, the size of a grain of rice, was implanted in his hand by a cosmetic surgeon in a five minute procedure.

Once the chip is implanted, various devices (e.g., locks, etc.) can be programmed to recognize the device. In spite of undergoing the implant, it’s interesting to note that Mr. Graafstra believes biometrics – including voice -- will prove superior for verifying identity. His stated goal is simply to create a dialogue on technology and its uses.

The article points out some additional potential benefits of the technology, such as the ability to “identify an Alzheimer's patient who has become lost or warn that an unconscious patient is allergic to penicillin.” However, there are obviously a myriad of social and privacy concerns as well. We’ll have to keep an eye on this one.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

SpeechTEK to Feature a Dedicated Voice Biometrics Track

SpeechTEK, an annual voice solutions conference, will be held August 2-4, 2010 at the New York City Marriott Marquis Hotel. This year’s conference will feature a dedicated voice biometrics track with three sessions:

• Understanding Voice Biometrics
• Voice Biometrics to the Aid of Preventing Identity Theft
• Determine the Identity of the Caller

In addition, several voice biometrics vendors, including Convergys and Persay, will be exhibiting. Additional details about the conference can be found on SpeechTEK’s
Website.

There is free admission to the exhibit area. I hope to see you there.