Category Archives: Uncategorized

xxx “A vulnerability in the messaging app WhatsApp has allowed attackers to inject commercial Israeli spyware on to phones, the company and a spyware technology dealer said.” From “WhatsApp voice calls used to inject Israeli spyware on phones | Financial Times”. xxx

The Mexican government wants to provide citizens (only a third of whom have bank accounts) with a service along the lines of M-PESA (M-PESO?). The service, called CoDi, will allow consumers to make P2P payments and pay in-store an online using QR codes. There is an issue, however, in trying to reach the unbanked byContinue reading “Mexcio”

As Larry White, someone who I always take very seriously in any such discussion, said in the Cato Journal “Some other writers and officials… do seek a cashless society. They want to drive all transactions into forms that leave an audit trail for the law enforcement and tax authorities”. I think I’m probably in this category.Continue reading “Swiss bankroll”

xxx Ninety percent of blockchain-based supply chain projects are faltering because they cannot figure out important uses for the technology, research firm Gartner said on May 7. From Gartner Survey: 90% of blockchain-based supply chain projects are in trouble | Modern Consensus | Cryptocurrency and blockchain news and opinions. xxx

xxx Germany, one of Europe’s last bastions of cash, has seen card payments eclipse traditional cash-based payments for the first time according to a new study. Research from the Cologne-based EHI Retail Institute showed that in 2018, consumers’ card payments accounted for 48.6% of total retail sales, narrowly overtaking the 48.3% of cash payments. FromContinue reading “Germany sees card payments overtake cash”

xxx “Microsoft will promote JPMorgan Chase’s Quorum blockchain to the global tech giant’s business customers, the companies announced Thursday. The Redmond, Washington-based software firm will support Quorum, JPM’s private enterprise version of ethereum, through Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, the firms said. They will look to support adoption of the network through their new partnership, afterContinue reading “Microsoft Makes JPMorgan’s Quorum the Preferred Blockchain for Azure Cloud – CoinDesk”

xxx Authentication solutions provider Payfone recently collaborated with credit agency TransUnion in an effort to crack down on fraudulent activities. Under the partnership, Payfone’s Trust Platform and Trust Score will be integrated into TransUnion’s IDVision and iovation suites, enabling users to instantly verify customers and thwart potential fraudsters in real time. From Citi Uses BiometricsContinue reading “Citi Uses Biometrics For ‘Security Perimeter’ | PYMNTS.com”

While I was reading something about  big data ethics I came across a fascinating comparison between the National Funeral Directors Association code of ethics and what might appear in a code of ethics for data scientists: specifically, a prohibition against “withholding services (like delaying the embalming process) or the body of a loved one (fromContinue reading “Data Is the New What? Popular Metaphors & Professional Ethics in Emerging Data Culture « CA: Journal of Cultural Analytics”

We spend a lot of time talking about digital identity for people and speculating about whether Apple ID or federated Bank ID or centralised Government ID is the best implementation. But in the new online world, there are a great many things other than people that will need to have digital identities in order toContinue reading “Down on the Farm”

It’s kind of interesting to see RBS become a challenger. Tyl is obviously going to compete with their former acquiring business WorldPay, and in a sector that is consolidating and pushing for scale, but they do have one obvious means to obtain traction: as the FT noted, RBS is the biggest SME lender so theyContinue reading “RBS takes aim at former subsidiary Worldpay | Financial Times”