An Israel-based startup specializing in using sounds instead of passwords for logging in said on Monday it has been bought by Google Inc.
SlickLogin did not disclose financial terms of the deal, and Google did not respond to an AFP request for comment about the acquisition.
“We started SlickLogin because security measures had become overly complicated and annoying,” the startup’s three-member team said in a post on their Web site.
“Our friends thought we were insane, but we knew we could do better,” the firm said.
The SlickLogin trio in Tel Aviv said they are joining the Google team with the mission of making the Internet safer for people while keeping the log-in process easy.
The founders of the company are billed as products of the cybersecurity unit of the Israel Defense Forces.
TWO MONTHS OLD
SlickLogin is barely two months old and has yet to field a commercial product, but is reported to be developing a way to protect online accounts with a technique akin to sonic handshakes.
The technology involves sending barely audible sounds through computer speakers and then having the users’ smartphones recognize the unique tones and respond in kind. It also reportedly factors in the location of smartphones.
“Just place your phone next to your laptop/tablet and you can log in,” SlickLogin said.
ADDED SECURITY
SlickLogin technology could replace passwords in some cases.
However, it is more likely to be looked at for use as an added layer of security in what is referred to as “two-factor authentication” to thwart cybercriminals.
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”
Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day
Thousands of parents in Singapore are furious after a Cordlife Group Ltd (康盛人生集團), a major operator of cord blood banks in Asia, irreparably damaged their children’s samples through improper handling, with some now pursuing legal action. The ongoing case, one of the worst to hit the largely untested industry, has renewed concerns over companies marketing themselves to anxious parents with mostly unproven assurances. This has implications across the region, given Cordlife’s operations in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. The parents paid for years to have their infants’ cord blood stored, with the understanding that the stem cells they contained