A federal report (PDF) says that consumer wearables are putting their users' health privacy at risk, and that more federal oversight may be required. The National Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, within the Department of Health and Human Services, wrote that it's frequently unclear where the boundaries of confidential information lie. … [Read more...]
In the Same Vein: New Recognition Technology from Samsung
Fingerprint and iris scanners might soon be old hat in the recognition game. Samsung’s recently published patent “Wearable Device and of Operating the Same” is for a wearable device that can identify a user by an image of her veins. The device takes a picture of your veins via a camera/infrared combination and compares it to a stored image. If they match, the device could be … [Read more...]
MWC Day 1: Good Technology Brings Wearables Into the Enterprise
Corporate IT directors tend to be control freaks, and for good reasons. The "bring your own devices" movement is driven primarily by users who want to be able to unify the same technology in their business and personal lives; IT directors, who are responsible for the security of corporate data, have had to suck it up as best they can. Good Technology has made a nice business … [Read more...]
Everykey Password Wristband Provides Very Very Very Light Security
Imagine a Bionym Nymi that doesn't provide much in the way of robust security. If that appeals to you, check out the Everykey Kickstarter. The Nymi, as you probably know, stores and transmits passwords and is locked by your heart rhythms. Take off the wristband, and no one else can use it because no one else's EKG is the same as yours. The Everykey claims to do a lot of … [Read more...]
FDA Publishes Health Device Security Guidelines; Public Workshop Set
As wearables move further into the realm of bona fide health devices (see our site Health Tech Insider for lots more on the subject), developers and manufacturers will inevitably have to deal with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA regulates health devices. Most current wearables don't fall under its jurisdiction, but it's entirely possible that more sophisticated … [Read more...]
Wearables in Banking
Here's a thoughtful article about wearables by Aman Narain, the global head of digital banking at the big international bank Standard Chartered; he sees the possibilities in 9 billion wearable devices and all the data they throw off, although he's completely correct in being worried about security issues. At Mobile World Congress, we had a particularly interesting … [Read more...]
