News from the Wire

Convenience and Security of Finger Identification Comes to Internet Consumers Through New Pay By Touch Online Service

Monday, February 06, 2006 — 12:47:40 (EST)

Phoenix/Demo Conference – February, 6, 2006 – Pay By Touch™, the leading provider of biometric authentication, loyalty, membership and payment solutions, today announced the launch of Pay By Touch Online, a new payment and identification service that gives consumers a fast, easy and secure way to identify themselves and make purchases on the Internet. Pay By Touch Online, which debuted today at DEMO 2006, is the only solution that increases security and convenience at the same time. The new service is based on Pay By Touch’s patented biometric technology. %%N%%N"The incessant news of data thefts, spyware and other information security threats undermine online trust, leaving too many people rightfully wary about the safety of their personal information," said Chris Shipley, executive producer of DEMO 2006. "By offering consumers the security and convenience of finger scan authentication on laptops and PCs, Pay By Touch Online will rebuild consumers’ confidence in the safety of online transactions and accelerate e-business overall.” %%N%%N“As crimeware is becoming more pervasive, consumer protection must take advantage of innovative technologies to maintain security online without taking away convenience,” said Jon Siegal, executive vice president of Pay By Touch Online. “Pay By Touch Online uses innovative technologies such as finger identification, encryption and secure data centers to provide the necessary multiple layers of authentication and security that haven’t existed until now in one service – making it the safest and most convenient way to log-in and pay.” %%N%%NPay By Touch Online gives consumers three distinct services: Express Sign-In, Multi-factor Authentication and Express Checkout. %%N%%NExpress Sign-In %%NExpress Sign-In allows consumers to quickly and securely log onto Web sites they commonly use with a fast and simple one-touch process. The consumer simply slides a finger across the scanner on his/her computer to login. If a positive identification is made, the Web site instantly signs the consumer in without requiring him/her to remember, type and transmit the username and password—eliminating a major source of consumer frustration. Because the username and password are not transmitted from the consumer’s computer, they are not at risk for theft by crimeware. The customer experience is improved, and retailers win from reduced fraud. %%N%%NMulti-factor Authentication %%NThe Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) has released guidelines requiring financial institutions to augment user ID's and passwords with multifactor authentication to improve Web site security by the end of 2006. %%N%%NPay By Touch Online allows companies to implement these guidelines by adding fast and secure finger scanning to current password systems. Pay By Touch Online adds all three factors of authentication: "something the user has" -- the unique scanner, "something the user knows" -- a password, and "something the user is” -- the finger image. %%N%%NExpress Checkout %%NExpress Checkout allows consumers to quickly and securely pay for purchases on Web sites through a fast and simple one-touch process. %%N%%NAs with Express Sign-in, the consumer slides a finger across the scanner on his/her computer when ready to checkout online. If a positive identification is made, the system accesses the shopper’s Pay By Touch wallet, which contains existing payment information (i.e. credit cards, signature debit cards, and eChecks--Pay By Touch’s electronic check product), shipping information and frequent shopper account information. Once a payment method is chosen, Pay By Touch and the online store securely complete the transaction ensuring that no sensitive financial information is transmitted from the consumer’s computer. %%N%%NThis payment system diminishes consumers’ fears and increases customer satisfaction by speeding up the checkout process and not requiring user IDs, passwords, shipping addresses, or sensitive personal and financial information to be entered. %%N%%NFinger Sensors %%NTo ensure that Pay By Touch’s high security standards are met, all sensors used – whether built into computers or inserted via a USB port -- must be certified. During 2006, Pay By Touch expects to certify millions of built-in and stand-alone sensors--many of which will already be in consumers’ hands or in manufactures’ product plans. %%N%%NTransaction Security %%NPay By Touch complies with the highest financial industry security standards for storage and transmission of data. Pay By Touch selected IBM to host its secure data centers and protect consumers’ identities because of its proven expertise and commitment to security. %%N%%NLower Merchant Costs %%NPay By Touch lowers merchant costs by allowing merchants to encourage shoppers to choose lower-cost forms of payments, such as ACH (called eCheck). Pay By Touch Online has the only biometrically-enabled ACH platform designed for Internet use. %%N%%NDeployment %%NPay By Touch is in negotiations with several Internet retailers and financial institutions across the country. The company plans to begin deployment of Pay By Touch Online in the Spring of 2006. %%N%%NPay By Touch in Retail %%NPay By Touch’s patented biometric authentication platform is already used by more than 2.3 million enrolled members, with deployments at more than 2,000 established retail locations. In addition, Pay By Touch has existing relationships with 10,000 Internet retailers who already process transactions through Pay By Touch’s payment processing business unit, Pay By Touch Payment Solutions. %%N%%NAbout DEMO %%NThe annual DEMO conferences focus on emerging technologies and new products, which are hand-selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMO conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies, and have served as launch pad events for companies such as Palm, E*Trade, Handspring and U.S. Robotics, helping them secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships and influence early adopters. Each DEMO conference features approximately 70 new companies, products and technologies. For more information on the DEMO conferences, visit www.demo.com . %%N%%NAbout Pay By Touch %%NPay By Touch is the global leader of biometric authentication, personalized marketing, and payment solutions. The company’s patented biometric products and services enable shoppers to conveniently and securely access personal accounts using a finger scan to identify themselves, make purchases, cash checks, and earn rewards. Pay By Touch also provides robust payment processing solutions for ACH, card-present and card-not-present debit and credit transactions. To date, Pay By Touch services over 154,000 retail clients, manages personalized rewards programs for more than 130 million opt-in consumers, and has more than 2.3 million shoppers using biometric authentication products and services at 2,000+ locations coast to coast. Founded in 2002, Pay By Touch is a privately held company headquartered in San Francisco that employs more than 500 professionals and holds more than two dozen U.S.-issued patents. For additional company information, visit www.paybytouch.com . %%N%%NSource: Company Press Release

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Source: Company press release.