UAE card scam highlights need for biometric security
Dubai - June 9, 2003 Growing card fraud, combined with the risk to their reputation of failing to act, is forcing banks and financial institutions to introduce the latest smart cards incorporating biometrics.
The use by banks of biometric technology - the analysis of unique body "signatures" such as fingerprint or iris scanning - is now seen as a viable alternative to personal identification numbers (PINs), to protect both the banks and their customers against "identity theft."
A recent nationwide card fraud in the United Arab Emirates emphasised the vulnerability of current systems. It involved a co-ordinated attack by "identity thieves", forcing banks to slash withdrawal limits at automated teller machines (ATMs) in an attempt to limit the financial damage.
The UAE Central Bank said last week it had identified US$411,000 illegally siphoned funds from ATM transactions in one day. Banks have promised compensation for victims of the fraudsters.
The UAE "identity thieves" succeeded in breaking the PIN codes of individual customers, enabling them to access their accounts and withdraw large sums of money - in some cases totally emptying ATMs of cash.
But it is not just financial damage. Such incidents cause substantial damage to a financial institution's reputation and its relationship to customers. To provide customer security and reassurance, a number of "biometric-enabled" ATMs have been installed by banks in the US and Europe, incorporating fingerprint or iris recognition.
"If Gulf banks are serious about reducing their risk, both financial and to their reputations, they must consider introducing biometric technology," said Chris Mullinger, director of the Middle East Biometrics Forum (www.iirgulf.com/biometrics) which opens in Dubai later this month.
"The combination of smart cards with biometric technology is the logical progression from outdated and unreliable security systems of the past," added Chris Blake, co-founder and director of research for leading smart card and biometrics company Banque-Tec of Australia."Banque-Tec have been working with experts in the fields of fingerprint, iris and face recognition to integrate these technologies with our smart card readers. This enables everyone to carry their own 'digital signature' on their card and ensure their presence at the point of access or transaction."
Until now the major market internationally for biometric technology has been in the government sector, which is predicted to reach over $4 billion in the US alone by the year 2007. But with smart cards incorporating biometric elements seen as virtually eliminating the possibility of data or identify theft, high-tech companies are targeting banks, financial institutions and other areas such as healthcare, for biometric technology systems.
These so-called "civilian" identity and network security access systems are seen by US-based International Biometric Group as the leading area for biometric applications over the next five years, expected to account for nearly $2 billion in combined annual revenues in 2007 - again in the US alone.
The International Biometrics Group and Banque-Tec are among ten international companies and consultancies demonstrating how biometric technology can be put to work in both the private and public sector at the Middle East Biometric Forum (22-24 June 2003) - the only event in the region dedicated to biometrics.
Organised by the Institute for International Research, the forum investigates the growing market for biometric technology in the region as well as key, new applications in banking, e-commerce, healthcare, digital rights management, point of sale, as well as law enforcement, border and building security.
The forum is endorsed by the Association for Biometrics and includes participants from eHosting Datafort, UAE; the International Biometric Group, USA; Sagem, France; LG Iris, USA; Siemens, Sweden; Identix, UK; Banque-Tec, Australia; Datastrip, UK; ES Gulf, Bahrain; De La Rue, UK; Hewlett Packard, Middle East.
A Village Aroused by Viagra Influence
London, June 8: A small, sleepy and picturesque Irish fishing village, Ringaskiddy, has suddenly risen to fame on rumours that fumes from a nearby Viagra factory have turned its residents into red-hot lovers.With little more than 300 houses, one shop and three pubs, Ringaskiddy is about to be catapulted into the 21st century with Hollywood film companies fighting over its sudden claim to fame as the home of the best lovers in Ireland.
Whether it is true or not, the locals are convinced that ever since Pfizer, the American-owned company that manufactures Viagra, started producing the drug’s active ingredient in its local factory, the townsfolk have become Ireland’s gold-medal-winning sexual athletes.A sniff of the fumes from the local factory, it is said, is all it takes for the sap to rise. Young and old men alike have taken on a new lease of life. Such is their sexual prowess that there is barely a vacant bed in the local maternity hospital.
"I’m telling you, it’s true," Christine Davies, working at Ringaskiddy Inn at the centre of the town, told the Telegraph. "Let’s just say a few of my friends have sampled the local men and they say they’ve never seen the likes of it! Talk about staying power! Those fumes have pumped new life into our men, I can tell you. I hear what the wives and girlfriends have to say. They come in here on a Sunday with big smiles on their faces." When, five years ago, Pfizer was granted a European licence to sell Viagra, it transferred the manufacture of the drug’s active ingredient — sildenafil citrate — to Ringaskiddy. From there the compound is taken to France and America where it is converted into tiny blue pills. The drug has made Pfizer the largest drug company in the world with a stockmarket value of £112.5 billion, and its sites at Ringaskiddy and nearby Little Island contribute £37 million a year, chiefly in salaries, to the Irish economy.
When David McGrath, a writer of Irish origin, heard about Ringaskiddy’s boast as the romantic capital of Ireland, he did a bit of research for himself. Now he and fellow writer John O’Driscoll have completed a script which has been snapped up by Maverick Entertainment, the film company owned by Madonna. So far Maverick has spent £1.3 million on the project and is hoping to entice Colin Farrell, the Irish actor, to play the lead role.
"The whole thing is a brilliant laugh," says McGrath. "I thought it was all made up but when I went there and heard the local yarns I had to do a script. People believe that even rural Ireland has become sophisticated and lost its charm but this proves them wrong. A tale like this shows that it is still a quirky place."
According to the author, the film will be called Something in the Air and it’s about three pals — one who can’t get an erection; one who can’t stop getting erections and one who has never slept with a woman. When the factory opens the men get frisky and the town becomes the sex capital of the world. If Colin Farrell agrees, he will play Bunny, the central character. Bunny is the local barman and a canny businessman. When he hears of the effect of the fumes he begins selling jars of air with the label: "One sniff and you’re stiff."
In the film, the drug will be called Priapus, after a Greek god of fertility, rather than Viagra, and instead of being set in Ireland Maverick has switched the location to a small, seaside town in California.
Over at the Viagra plant Pfizer is keen to play down the rumours. The factory doesn’t even have a chimney, its spokesman points out. There is no scientific proof for any of these stories. "As far as we are concerned there simply isn’t any Viagra dust in the air. But we do have a sense of humour," she adds. "We take the stories in good part. It’s all just a bit of a joke really. A bit of Irish mist."- Courtesy The Asian Age.
EPSON launches a new range of multimedia projectors
Features suited to small businesses, institutions and home users
June 9, 2003
EPSON today Monday (June 9, 2003) launched a new generation of multimedia projectors that combine both wireless and display technologies to offer cutting-edge solutions to the Middle East presentation market. Having something to offer the presenter on the move, the lecturer within the classroom, or organisers addressing large audiences, the EPSON range of high performance projectors are ideal for Small Office Home Office (SOHO), Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SME), educational/institutional environments and home users.
"The penetration levels of IT and automation in the region, show an upward trend which means that the SOHO, SME and the educational/institutional sectors are using technologically advanced solutions for their business and personal needs. EPSON's projectors are at the forefront of innovative technology and combine exceptional performance with quality. We are confident that this latest addition to the EPSON range represents a new era for projectors and targets a broad section of end users and from all segments," said Khalil El Dalu, General Manager, EPSON Middle East.
EPSON has a complete range of multimedia projectors, from the small and light ultra portable models to the compact, high performance installation projectors. The EPSON EMP range of highly portable multimedia projectors enable users to project screen images directly from their computer (laptop, PC, Mac, or workstation) and incorporate graphics, animated sequences, even live video - all with superb stereo sound. Every EPSON multimedia projector features EPSON's third-generation resizing technology - DAR (Digital Active Resizing) - for high quality images from VGA to UXGA resolution, and a host of software tools including on-screen menu and help systems, EPSON's ELP Link software, and pre-programmed presentation tools for real-time transitions and other effects.
