ID
Latest
FedEx left sensitive customer data exposed on unsecured server
It seems like there's no end to the data breach stories. Uber covered their problem up, then had to answer to Congress. Equifax's initial response to its massive data exposure added its own security issue. Federal employees were even found stealing data from Homeland Security. Now FedEx customer records — including passports, drivers licenses and other security IDs — have been exposed, according to security researchers at Kromtech.
Bournemouth bars have begun accepting a smartphone app as ID
I went to university in Bournemouth and remember fondly (and not so fondly) queueing for overpriced bars with housemates and other trainee journalists. Every Monday night was the same -- I would stand outside in the freezing cold, slowly shuffling forward until someone in my group uttered the groan-inducing phrase: "I've forgotten my ID." Oh, how times have changed. A bunch of nightclubs including Cameo, Halo, Truth, Yates and Walkabout have started accepting Yoti as an ID and proof of age. The smartphone app is supposed to be fast, secure, and more convenient because you can leave your passport and driving licence at home.
Facebook buys a company that verifies government IDs
Facebook has snapped up a software firm that created tools allowing startups to instantly authenticate driver's licenses and other government IDs. The social network said that Boston-based Confirm's "technology and expertise will support [its] ongoing efforts to keep [its] community safe." According to Reuters, the smaller company's 26-or-so employees are joining Facebook, which makes sense, considering Confirm has already shut down its office and software offerings. However, the acquisition's terms remain unclear, and neither side has revealed how the social network will use the ID verification technology.
Estonia freezes resident ID cards due to security flaw
Estonia's residents use their mandatory national IDs to access pretty much anything, from online banking to online voting. So, it was a huge blow to the program when experts found a security flaw in the chip the ID used that makes it possible for bad players to impersonate and steal the identities of all 760,000 affected individuals. That might not sound like a huge number, but that's half the small country's population. Now, the country has blocked most of its residents from accessing all its online services for a weekend, so it can go in and and fix the vulnerability.
Starting in 2020, it’s going to be much easier to buy an EV
For the first time ever, buying an electric or hybrid car from most of the big automakers is a viable option. But these electrified vehicles are still a small part of the entire automotive world. At the Frankfurt auto show in Germany, many car companies either finally pledged or reiterated earlier promises to increase the number of electrified cars to their lineups by 2030.
Volkswagen's electric Crozz SUV gets closer to reality
Volkswagen continues to push its electric road map. At the Frankfurt auto show, it dropped a newer version of the pure electric ID Crozz Crossover. Initially unveiled in Shanghai, the crossover is the third vehicle with the ID brand, along with the microbus Buzz and the four-door ID. All three vehicles will be built on the company's upcoming Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB).
VW's first ID electric car for the US may be a crossover
Are you champing at the bit waiting for Volkswagen's ID electric cars to hit the market? You might not want to be picky about the choice of body style. Sources speaking to our Autoblog colleagues say that the while the regular, hatchback-style EV will launch first, it won't reach the US -- at least, not initially. Instead, the ID Crozz would be the first of the lineup on American shores, arriving in late 2020 or in 2021. It's not clear why VW would make this move, but it's likely to accommodate a recent American taste for crossovers and target an EV audience that has gone relatively untapped. The Bolt is really more of a hatchback despite Chevy's marketing, and the Tesla Model X is both closer to a pure SUV and priced well beyond the budget of most drivers.
Microsoft and the UN to provide digital IDs for undocumented people
It's difficult to live without identification. In many cases, you're shut out of banking, health care, voting rights and other basics. Microsoft and partners might just give those many undocumented people (1.1 billion of them, in fact) a shot at the identity they need, though. It's working with Accenture and Avanade on a United Nations-backed digital ID effort that would offer legal recognition to those who'd otherwise be lost to recordkeepers. The prototype uses blockchain technology to give people a trustworthy ID that can follow them anywhere, but still respects privacy and security.
Volkswagen's crossover of the future uses AR to keep you informed
Volkswagen first showed off its next-gen ID platform at the Paris Auto Show last year with a concept car for where it sees electric vehicles going. Now the embattled automaker has debuted the ID Crozz, an all-electric crossover utility vehicle (get it?) VW hopes will help the company reach its goal of selling a million EVs a year by 2025.
VW aims to move past scandals with another self-driving EV
Volkswagen really, really wants to prove that it's moving past its diesel emissions scandal, and to that end it's unveiling yet another electric car concept following the I.D. and I.D. Buzz. This third model will be VW's first crossover EV, blending a "four-door coupé" with an SUV. The automaker isn't saying much about the crossover in its teaser, but it's promising a self-driving feature that retracts the steering wheel into an all-digital cockpit.
Volkswagen's I.D. arrives in 2020 with up to 370 mile range
VW has kicked off the Paris Motor Show with some (much needed) flair, unveiling the fully electric I.D.. The I.D. looks like something straight out of Back To The Future II, and has a suitably futuristic release date too: 2020. Volkswagen claims the 125 kW motor in the I.D. will have a huge range, landing somewhere between 250 and a pretty impressive (if true) 370 miles. You might have to wait a few years to get one, and be prepared to pay "Golf" money for it, but VW says the I.D. is actually the "ambassador" for a whole new electric line-up. For now, we took a look at the concept model right here in 2016 in Paris.
New York's smarter face recognition catches more ID thieves
Sometimes, behind-the-scenes tech upgrades can make a big difference. New York's Governor Cuomo reports that an overhaul of the state DMV's face recognition software in January has led to more than 100 arrests and 900 open investigations so far. The trick? The new system checks 128 points on a face instead of 64, dramatically increasing the chances that it'll match a photo against the DMV's database. Combine that with new comparison modes (like black-and-white and overlays) and it's easier to catch identity thieves and fraudsters, such as one man who tried to get a license with a stolen identity in order to evade a suspension.
O2 data bolt-ons now rollover into next month's allowance
iD is a mobile provider after our own heart. With all-you-can-eat data plans a distant memory, the Carphone Warehouse-owned MVNO has introduced the next best thing: rollover data. And better yet, there's no fine print. If you don't hit your monthly cap, any unused data will simply be added to next month's allowance. But O2 can't just sit by and let iD have its 15 minutes now, can it? Today, O2 announced its own rollover scheme, though it only applies to data bolt-ons you've purchased after exhausting your monthly allowance.
Carphone Warehouse's 'iD' network adds free data rollovers
When Carphone Warehouse's iD mobile network launched in May last year, it promised flexible plans that would suit the differing needs of consumers. International roaming was a big draw, as was unlimited data, but it wasn't long before out all-you-can-eat internet was phased out in favour of a 20GB ceiling.
Carphone Warehouse's 'iD' mobile network launches tomorrow
Carphone Warehouse is launching its "iD" mobile network tomorrow, and in preparation it's revealed new details about its contracts and how they differ from the competition. For starters, they'll be separated into four tiers: Shockproof, TakeAway, Go To and SIM Only. The Shockproof tier starts from £7.50 per month and is designed to help you avoid expensive bills. To do this, iD will cap your usage automatically, while offering a customisable "buffer" just in case you find yourself craving a few extra GB. TakeAway, meanwhile, will offer plans from £25.50 per month with free roaming in 22 countries -- that's more than Three's "Feel at Home" initiative, if you're keeping score.
Carphone Warehouse launching flexible 'iD' mobile network next month
Does the UK need another carrier? Carphone Warehouse seems to think so. It's been rumoured for months, but finally the company is ready to unveil its own mobile network. "iD" will arrive in May and, as expected, be powered by Three's network infrastructure. What makes it special? Well, the retailer says it's focusing on a few key benefits. The first is "controlled and capped plans," which it claims will be the cheapest on the market. It's also emphasising "flexible" 12-month contracts and 30-day SIM-only plans.
South Korean data breaches leave every citizen's ID at risk
There are big data breaches, and then there are massive, nation-changing data breaches. South Korean officials have warned that hacks targeting the country's national ID number system were so damaging that the government may not only have to revamp how it issues ID numbers, but hand out new ones to every citizen. That could cost the equivalent of $650 million by itself, and businesses might have to spend billions of dollars upgrading their systems to match -- you need that ID for many basic tasks in South Korea, so it's not just a question of a simple software fix.
Estonia will hand out digital ID cards to non-residents
Digital ID cards are still a rarity in most countries, but they're a staple of everyday life in Estonia -- locals use them for everything from e-voting to buying mass transit tickets. You currently have to live in the country to take advantage of these cards, however, and that's creating a real problem for non-residents wanting to set up shop. To solve this, Estonia now plans to hand out this identification to non-residents at the end of 2014, making it the first country to have a globally relevant digital ID. So long as applicants can provide the same biometric data and documents (along with a fee of around €30 to €50), they'll get either a card or a digital-only equivalent they can store on a smartphone's SIM card.
id's Rage free to play, cheap to buy this weekend on Steam
id Software's latest, Rage, is the focus of a free-to-play event this weekend on Steam. Starting today and running through Sunday at 1pm PT, all Steam users can download Rage and play as much as they want. Should they choose to purchase the game for play past Sunday, its price has been knocked down to $5 for the weekend. Rage largely failed to gain real traction with critics and consumers when it launched in October of 2011. Despite selling 550,000 copies in the US during its debut month, it has been absent from NPD charts every month since. Still, id has publicly stated it's not done with the series: Co-founder Tom Willits told Joystiq earlier this year "the franchise is not dead" and that id is "proud of what we did" and "proud of the universe that we built."
Daily Roundup: Apple's iPhone 5s and 5c hands-on, Touch ID fingerprint scanner, Moto X factory, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
