Bio-Pen offers secure signature protection
Just as debit and credit card signatures are being phased out in the UK in favour of Chip and PIN (and now it’s so much easier to just read people’s PINs over their shoulders rather than having to practise forging their signatures), along comes this bit of biometric technology to bring new life to the humble autograph. Secure Signature Systems (SSS) has been busy developing this Bio-Pen that’s been designed for use with laptops and PCs to prevent unsavoury types from logging onto wireless networks and VPNs. The chrome ink pen uses biometric technology to identify users via their signatures, providing a wire-free security system.
It’s is a pretty neat idea – although we’re guessing that it’s as open to problems as laptop fingerprint scanners and all the other biometric peripherals out there. It does offer a number of different opportunities for use though – including presumably, good old credit and debit card authorisation.
And if you’re one of those people whose signatures changes every time you do it, have no fear. Apparently, it checks the way you create the signature, not the finished product, so it can recognise your style even if you’re feeling a bit wobbly. According to the SSS people, it has a false acceptance rate of just 0.01% and it’s currently being trialled by "some of the UK’s largest financial institutions".
It operates via a licence system and is available in the UK exclusively from Secure Signature Systems
