Collis has introduced an NFC Two-factor Asymmetrical Chip Authentication application called NFC-2ACA—or NFC two-factor asymmetrical chip authentication. The application has been developed by integrating 2ACA into the contactless payment card protocols and the Near Field Communication protocol.

Collis has developed the 2ACA application that enables third-party authentication based on standard EMV implementations. Collis has enhanced this contact chip based 2ACA authentication scheme by integrating 2ACA into the contactless payment card protocols and the NFC protocol. 

The Federal Trade Commission will hold a Town Hall meeting this summer to examine consumer protection issues related to the growing use of contactless payment devices based on RFID technology. The Town Hall, which will be free and open to the public, is scheduled for July 24, at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The FTC recognizes many benefits provided by these RFID applications, but is concerned with potential costs to consumers’ individual privacy rights associated with the technology’s growth. The public meeting will provide a chance to begin studying the new technology as it matures, convene interested parties and weigh the costs and benefits to consumers of its use. 

The Smart Card Alliance has named its 2008 award winners for Outstanding Smart Card Achievement (OSCA) in the North American and Latin American markets. The awards were given at the CTST 2008 The Americas Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla. that began Monday. 

CARTES & IDentification will be held from November 4 to 6 2008 in Paris-Nord Villepinte. In 2008, the show’s focus will be on e-transactions, ID management and the USA. Organizers expect to welcome over 20,000 visitors, as well as 520 exhibitors and 1,700 conference delegates.

Following the focus on Japan in 2007, the United States will be this year’s spotlight country at CARTES & IDentification. The USA is a pioneer in this field in terms of transport, payment, exchanges and loyalty applications. The USA leads in the field of contactless technology — more particularly its deployment via multiple applications, such as electronic documents or payment cards.

Besides, the USA is actively involved in the secure electronic-transactions market and has, as a result, tended to get other players to adopt American standards as the new technological standards of reference. The United States will also have a dedicated pavilion in the heart of the trade fair as well as including highlights of various activities related to the US market, together with the presence of major decision makers linked to that market. 

By Andy Williams, Contributing Editor

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Hong Kong-based Octopus Cards Limited ought to be feeling pretty good about itself. Not only has it revolutionized transit payments at home-Hong Kong-but its arms are starting to spread to other parts of the world. 

Cryptomathic’s Mike Bond talks with host Chris Corum about the efforts to secure e-Passports with the new Extended Access Control (EAC). Bond explains the foundations of EAC and describes how it builds upon the earlier security techniques of Basic Access Control (BAC) to protect the biometrics on the contactless chip. Explore how EAC creates a worldwide PKI, how it impacts issuers and vendors, and whether it will make lines longer or shorter at immigration points.

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A new report done by IDTechEx compares and contrasts Near Field Communication, and particularly RFID enabled mobile phones, with contactless smart cards and tickets. It emphasizes how they are forms of RFID with advantages and disadvantages and different development paths.

The researchers came to the conclusion that there will continue to be rapid growth in sales for at least ten years. This follows 800 million Chinese acquiring contactless national ID cards in four years and 47 million Japanese adopting NFC-compatible phones in three years. These were two of the fastest rollouts of electronic products in human history, the report states.