Digital Lifescapes

Smartphone data security is growing in importance as more people are storing and accessing personal, business and financial data on their devices. Alphanumeric passwords are the common method of authentication, but can be difficult to enter accurately while on the move. Furthermore, the small screen size on smartphones -- relative to that of a desktop or notebook computer -- means that password input is more difficult, while an accidental keystroke can increase the user frustration. That said, biometric authentication is able to move beyond fingerprint scans and include a range of identifiers, from facial recognition to voiceprints, according to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research. Biometric Technology Market Development These methods will become part of many more consumer lives, installed on an estimated 190 million mobile devices  in 2016 -- including smartphones and wearables -- before exceeding 600 million devices by 2021. The new research found that...

There are now more than 6.4 billion mobile phones in circulation worldwide. They've evolved far beyond a simple means of two-way communications. They're now a multifaceted enabler of numerous day-to-day online activities made possible by mobile internet access. Clearly, there are both opportunities and challenges associated with this trend. As people increasingly complete more digital transactions via smartphones and other mobile devices, the need to verify their identity -- and protect it from theft -- becomes paramount. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, the increased rollout of contactless payment services using fingerprint scanners will increase the number of biometrically authenticated transactions to nearly 5 billion by 2019 -- that's up from less than 130 million in 2015. Juniper observed that at present, only two services -- from Apple and Samsung -- used fingerprint scanners for authentication, with availability currently limited to the...