25 February 2022

Kim is running to raise money for Parkinsons UK


Thank you for visiting my fundraising page! I’m taking part in Time to Run from 1 March for Parkinson’s UK. I’ll be running 50 miles in 50 days to celebrate my Parkinson’s hero Brian and to raise vital funds. 

My close friend Brian was diagnosed 12 years ago in his early 50s and despite being in frequent pain he never grumbles or complains. Brian and his wife Tracy have been dear friends for over 25 years and have been there for me and my family through many trials and tribulations.  I am running to show them my support and to help raise vital funds for research. 

Together we can celebrate all the incredible people out there who are helping to transform Parkinson’s which also includes our volunteers who do a fantastic job supporting people and running local groups and activities.  

Please help by sponsoring me whatever you can. All the money raised will directly fund the Parkinson's UK Virtual Biotech, the drug discovery and development arm of Parkinson's UK. This will help us fast track the most promising scientific discoveries and treatments for Parkinson's.

Thank you very much. I am so grateful for all your support and will try my best!

www.parkinsons.org.uk


Pray for Ukraine

The Archbishop of York spoke in the debate in the House of Lords today regarding the situation in Ukraine. This is his speech in full:

My Lords you may have seen that the Archbishop of Canterbury and I have already spoken about the unprovoked attack on Ukraine as an act of great evil. This is a dark hour for Europe. We have called on Anglican churches to make this coming Sunday a day of prayer for peace  and on Tuesday encourage parishes to join with the Anglican diocese in Europe in prayer at 6 pm, especially for those who minister and witness for peace in Ukraine itself where we have chaplaincies and minister alongside other denominations and faith communities. We are all invited to join with Pope Francis in making Ash Wednesday a day of fasting and prayer for peace.

Perhaps in the west, we have taken peace for granted. The horrors being visited on Ukraine must be a wake-up call for us that peace is something you need to work at. What is happening in Ukraine is truly shocking, but, sadly it is not surprising. We have seen it coming. Ukraine now stands alone, unprotected by the treaties that protect us and allow us to believe that peace is a normal state of affairs. 

But it isn’t. 

Peace is a choice. It is a decision that we need to make each day about the way we live and about our responsibilities to and with our neighbour, be that in our family, in our local community, or between the nations of the world. And we need the policies, the wisdom, the tenacity and the international resolve that will deliver it.

Previous generations knew this. They knew it, because they had experienced the horrors of war that most of us haven’t. 

In the post-war period we invested in international bodies and associations that would bind us to each other. In 1950, for instance, Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister, said when announcing a plan to pool coal and steel production, that the plan was motivated so that solidarity in production would make war between France and Germany “not only unthinkable, but materially impossible.”

But Ukraine is not defended by NATO. What we have seen from Vladimir Putin in the last few days is a terrible, flagrant disregard of the Ukrainian people’s legitimate right to self-determination. As the noble Lady Baroness Goldie has put it, he has chosen war.

Right now, as well as generous, humanitarian aid and support for refugees, about which I hope the minister will say more in his summing up – we need to know what is happening - we must use all our diplomatic muscle and energy, stringent economic sanctions, and focused political will to force Russia to step back from this aggression, withdraw its troops and silence the guns, not least because effective sanctions will mean many innocent Russians suffer as well. Our actions must be swift and cohesive if they are to be decisive. 

Jesus urged his followers to be peacemakers, not simply peacelovers. This is an important distinction, because it is a call to action.   

First, in  support of Ukraine, and especially the many innocent children and families, potential refugees living with this conflict and its consequences, and support for those who are bravely protesting on the streets of Russia. But peace, lasting peace, requires more. It requires a new commitment to international instruments of law and order, accountability and investment so that we make peace and choose peace, not just hope to keep it. The suffering of Ukraine, the imperialist ambition of Russia, our own acceptance that ‘immoral flood of corrupt money that flows (from Russia) through London’ has to stop.

And as followers of Jesus, we pray because we believe God’s grace has the final word, not the horrors of sin, not death. 

But we also pray because that prayer will shape our will and will shape our resolve The prayers of Christian people and of all people of faith and goodwill are with our government, and with all the leaders of the free world, as we both implore Russia to change course, but also determine to play our part in the active pursuit of peace in our world today.

www.archbishopofyork.org


23 February 2022

Passing on an old PC to someone else? Be aware: Windows 10 and 11 21H2 Data Wiping Tool Leaves User Data on Disk

 

Microsoft MVP Rudy Ooms has discovered that the built-in Windows data wiping functions aren't doing their job. In other words, say you want to sell on or recycle a PC system, and you prudently use the "Reset PC > Remove Everything" option. That should be a good way to wipe your drive, but there will still be personal data left behind on the old system. This error applies to both local and remote wiping of PCs running Windows 10 version 21H2 and Windows 11 version 21H2.

Donline uses Eurosoft's ZeroData Hard Drive Eraser software to securely wipe old hard drives, or physically destroys them. If you need help or advice on how to ensure that your data doesnt fall into the wrong hands - contact Donline.

www.tomshardware.com

 

Ofcom plans crackdown on fake number fraud


Almost 45 million people were targeted by scam calls and texts last summer. Criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and nearly a million of these consumers followed the scammers’ instructions, risking financial loss and emotional distress.

Ofcom works with phone companies to help them block calls that imitate – or ‘spoof’ – the phone numbers of legitimate organisations, such as banks and Government departments. But fraudsters quickly adapt to changing circumstances and technology. During the pandemic, for example, criminals have been texting fraudulent vaccination links and impersonating delivery companies.

So we have been supporting phone companies and working with other organisations on new ways to combat phone and text scams. Read more...

www.ofcom.org.uk


21 February 2022

Planning a Euro road trip with a classic vehicle? Better read this!

The BMF is urgently following up allegations that historic motorcycles over 40 years old – exempt from an MOT in the UK – may still need to carry an MOT certificate when travelling in the EU.

The question came up when a Triumph Owners Club member was stopped in this week Spain on his 1970 T100SS for a document check. He was asked for an MOT or equivalent certificate and told that his machine could be impounded if he couldn’t produce one.

www.britishmotorcyclists.co.uk


Want to improve your mental health? Leave Crypto alone!

If you have a friend who’s “into crypto”, then now is the time to check in on them. In late January, prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum, two of the most popular cryptocurrencies, plunged to levels that many experts never predicted, and memecoins like Dogecoin were dragged down with them. Countless people have watched thousands of pounds disappear before their eyes.

This was a sudden shock rather than a slow burn. Bitcoin reached an all-time high of around $69,000 (£50,850) in November, but then dropped over 40 percent within a few months. As a whole, the crypto market has decreased in value by more than $1 trillion (£737bn) since Bitcoin’s peak, but it has shown signs of rallying in the last week or so.

Many experts have touted crypto as a democratised form of Wall Street investing, with the prospect of financial elevation awaiting anyone who dares to join the party. But in reality, it seems to have panned out for only a select few. Many crypto-investors are ordinary people taking a risk with their life savings rather than elite traders who can swallow sudden losses. A recent CNBC survey of 750 crypto investors found that a third actually knew very little about what they were investing in. The question is: What happens to these people when they lose big?

www.vice.com


18 February 2022

Reading the Bible is great for your health!


Deep engagement with the Bible can dramatically improve your general health, according to the State of the Bible (SOTB) research by the American Bible Society (ABS). People with higher levels of Scripture engagement have better well-being scores compared to those who are less engaged with the Bible.

Holistic well-being is a measurement of people viewing their personal future with hope. An assessment of well-being is found in the Harvard Human Flourishing index, that includes the categories of Happiness and Life Satisfaction, Meaning and Purpose, Character and Virtue, and Close Social Relationships.

The SOTB research shows that Scripture engagement is a driving factor in higher hope scores. When people are engaged with Scripture on a regular basis, they have more hope and are more ready and willing to forgive others. Connection to the Bible and Christian community provides hurting people with a bridge to hope and healing.

www.biblegateway.com


17 February 2022

NFTs - what's that about then? Spoiler NFT = CON!

A non-fungible token (NFT) is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain, a form of digital ledger, that can be sold and traded. Types of NFT data units may be associated with digital files such as photos, videos, and audio. Because each token is uniquely identifiable, NFTs differ from blockchain cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin.

NFT ledgers claim to provide a public certificate of authenticity or proof of ownership, but the legal rights conveyed by an NFT can be uncertain. NFTs do not restrict the sharing or copying of the underlying digital files, do not necessarily convey the copyright of the digital files, and do not prevent the creation of NFTs with identical associated files.

NFTs have been used as a speculative asset, and they have drawn increasing criticism for the energy cost and carbon footprint associated with validating blockchain transactions as well as their frequent use in art scams and claimed structure of the NFT market to be a ponzi scheme.



16 February 2022

Follow the money: Russian Cybercriminals Drive Significant Ransomware and Cryptocurrency-based Money Laundering Activity

Russia has long been home to some of the most skilled hackers in the world. According to cybersecurity investigators like Brian Krebs, this is largely due to the country’s excellence in computer science education, combined with low economic prospects even for those who are skilled in the field. Given this background, it may not be surprising that Russia leads the way in ransomware. But the degree to which Russia-based ransomware strains dominate is quite shocking. 

Before we dive into the data, a quick explainer - we generally tie specific ransomware strains to Russian cybercriminals based on one of three criteria:

1) Evil Corp is a Russia-based cybercriminal organization that has been prolific in ransomware, and whose leadership is believed to have ties to the Russian government. 

2) The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is an intergovernmental organization of Russian-speaking, former Soviet countries. Many ransomware strains contain code that prevents the encryption of files if it detects the victim’s operating system is located in a CIS country. In other cases, ransomware operators have even given over decryptors to return file access after learning they inadvertently targeted a Russian organization. We can attribute CIS-avoiding strains to Russian cybercriminals, though with a lesser degree of confidence, as some of them may be based in other CIS countries.

3) There are several other ransomware characteristics that can indicate a strain is likely based in Russia. Examples include ransomware strains that share documents and announcements in the Russian language, or whose affiliates are believed to be located in Russia with a high degree of confidence. 

Overall, roughly 74% of ransomware revenue in 2021 - over $400 million worth of cryptocurrency - went to strains we can say are highly likely to be affiliated with Russia in some way. 

Blockchain analysis combined with web traffic data also tells us that after ransomware attacks take place, most of the extorted funds are laundered through services primarily catering to Russian users.

www.chainalysis.com


15 February 2022

Millions of low-income families missing out on £144 annual broadband saving

Millions of families under pressure from the rising cost of living could each save £144 on their annual broadband bills, Ofcom has found. Special discounted broadband packages – sometimes known as ‘social tariffs’ – are available to an estimated 4.2 million households in receipt of Universal Credit.

But only 55,000 homes have taken advantage of these discounted rates so far – just 1.2% of those eligible. That means that millions of benefits recipients are missing out on an average annual broadband saving of £144 each.

Currently six broadband providers – BT, Community Fibre, G.Network, Hyperoptic, KCOM and Virgin Media O2 – offer at least one of these specially discounted deals. These packages are priced at between £10-£20 a month for broadband speeds ranging from 10Mbit/s to 67Mbit/s.

Ofcom is today calling on all other broadband firms to support struggling households by introducing their own social tariffs. We also want to see all companies promote these deals more widely, and make sure it’s swift and simple for customers to sign up.

www.ofcom.org.uk


14 February 2022

What is a SIM swap attack?

SIM swapping is a scam in which malicious parties target cell phone carriers to gain access to victims’ bank accounts, virtual currency accounts and additional sensitive information by using social engineering, insider threat or phishing techniques. Social engineering involves a criminal to impersonate the victim’s mobile number by tricking the cell phone carrier into switching the victim’s mobile number to a SIM card that is in the criminal’s possession, allowing the malicious party to access the victim’s calls, texts and other data, but this is only one of the three methods used to steal funds from victims.

Insider threat takes place when a criminal actor pays off a mobile carrier employee to switch the victim’s SIM to a card currently in the criminal’s possession. Malicious parties can also employ phishing techniques to access victims’ sensitive data, and steal funds from the victim through their banking data or third-party services like PayPal or Venmo. This level of access to a victim’s cell data then allows a malicious party entry to everything from text message verification to SMS based two-factor authentication to exploit victims’ sensitive information.

“Service providers must move from more simplistic means of validating identity to more sophisticated ones,” Clements said. “PIN codes unique to each user’s account can be one way of adding additional security to the process, and ‘out of wallet’ questions are another alternative that works by verifying much harder to compromise information such as last three home addresses or cars. It may be more of a hassle for everyone, but it’s simply no longer viable to rely on information that has been routinely compromised to validate a person’s identity.”

The FBI encourages both cell phone users and the companies that provide service to take additional security measures in protecting their personal information. For cell phone users, the agency outlines the following tips:

Do not advertise information about financial assets, including ownership or investment of cryptocurrency, on social media websites and forums.

Do not provide your mobile number account information over the phone to representatives that request your account password or pin. Verify the call by dialing the customer service line of your mobile carrier.

Avoid posting personal information online, such as mobile phone number, address or other personal identifying information.

Use a variation of unique passwords to access online accounts.

Be aware of any changes in SMS-based connectivity.

Use strong multi-factor authentication methods such as biometrics, physical security tokens, or standalone authentication applications to access online accounts.

Do not store passwords, usernames or other information for easy login on mobile device applications.

www.techrepublic.com


11 February 2022

Code breaker: motorists in danger of breaking the new “rules of the road”

The UK’s leading road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has warned that a lack of communication from the government regarding the sweeping changes to the Highway Code set to come into force on the 29th January means that many motorists will be running the risk of inadvertently breaking the rules of the road.

Indeed, four new rules and 49 changes to the Code include the requirement for drivers to give way to pedestrians at a junction, as well as a new risk-based ‘Hierarchy of Road Users’, which places more responsibility on the drivers of larger vehicles to look after more vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

And while IAM RoadSmart has welcomed some of the changes, the charity has cautioned that the new rules will be of very little benefit if the public aren’t made aware of them.

For a range of graphics which illustrate the new Highway Code rules, CLICK HERE.

www.iamroadsmart.com


M27 to reopen in full following smart motorway work

After three years of roadworks, the M27 is to fully reopen - with a new lane becoming available to traffic from this weekend.

National Highways has confirmed that traffic cones and barriers will start to be removed on the 15-mile stretch between junction 4 in Southampton and junction 11 in Fareham on Saturday (February 12th).

Extra safety measures have also been brought in during the project to turn each carriageway of the section into a four-lane 'smart motorway'.

A lower speed limit of 60 mph will remain in place while the technology, which includes stopped vehicle detection, is tested.

www.planetradio.co.uk


10 February 2022

Portsmouth Street Pastors - 15 years of serving the City. Will you help us to continue to serve?

 

Portsmouth Street Pastors was born out of a prayerful desire of churches in Portsmouth to come together as one united body, to be the ‘hands and feet’ of Jesus by providing support in the city’s night time economy. The first patrol took place in 2007, and our Street Pastors have been visiting the city centre and Southsea every weekend since. Click here to watch our video.

On the evening of the 9th Feb 2022 at St Luke's Church, Southsea: Portsmouth Street Pastors had a very special Commissioning Event. We heard from inspiring speakers (council, police, MP & others), welcomed our new volunteers, recognised those who have served for many years, and enjoyed some wonderful live music by Africapella

Will you be a friend of Portsmouth Street Pastors? Sign up to the 15th Anniversary fundraiser by becoming a Street Pastor's Friend this year by donating £1 a week across 2022.

www.streetpastors.org


Use Zoom on a Mac? Check your microphone settings!

Apple Mac users running the Zoom meetings app are reporting that it's keeping their computer's microphone on when they aren't using it.

The issue appears to affect the native app running on the current macOS release, Monterey, in which Apple has implemented a visual cue to alert users that an application or device is accessing their microphone or camera — via an orange or green dot in the Menu Bar, respectively.

Users began complaining about the issue after Monterrey was released late last year, and on December 27, Zoom Inc put out an update that was meant to address the bug, stating that version 5.9.1 (3506) "resolved an issue regarding the microphone light indicator being triggered when not in a meeting."

www.theregister.com


#LiveLent: Embracing Justice - Lent reflections from the Church of England

This Lent we are called to reflect on the injustices of the world and ask what God is calling us to do about them. Over forty days, we step into God’s work in the here and now – and in doing so we move from brokenness towards wholeness.

The six weeks of Lent are a journey. We travel together towards God’s promised world, one where his justice and mercy reign.

For many people, Lent is a time of fasting, of choosing to go without.

This Lent we are called to be speakers and seekers of justice. We reflect on the injustices of the world and ask what God is calling us to do about them. Over forty days, we step into God’s work in the here and now – and in doing so we move from brokenness towards wholeness.

Our journey through Lent is one in which we seek inner transformation to be people of a new world, people who reflect God’s vision that all are created equal.

Our prayer is that this may be a time for you – whether by yourself, in community, or online – to see afresh the vision of God and truly join in making his promise of a world transformed a reality.

#LiveLent: Embracing Justice will offer a daily Bible reading, a short reflection and a prayer, as well as a practical challenge linked to the week’s theme. An accompanying child’s version will also available to help children and their families explore how we can live well together. As in previous years, we'll be making this available via:

a free app for Apple and Android devices

free email reflections

audio on our Smart speaker skills

printed booklets through Church House Publishing

Click HERE to sign up to email reflections from the Church of England

www.churchofengland.org


Reading for today: We are the Church - the Body of Christ


No Christian and, indeed, no historian could accept the epigram which defines religion as “what a man does with his solitude.” 

It was one of the Wesleys, I think, who said that the New Testament knows nothing of solitary religion. We are forbidden to neglect the assembling of our- selves together

Christianity is already institutional in the earliest of its documents. The Church is the Bride of Christ. We are members of one another.

By C.S. Lewis

From The Weight of Glory


09 February 2022

Allow me to introduce a friend: Richard Johnston - Artist & Designer

I've know Richard for many years. He is an incredible artist & designer. If you need someone to work with to bring an artistic project to life - he's your man!

Since helping to repair the satirical puppets for ‘Spitting Image’ in 1988, Richard has been a modelmaker, propmaker, designer and performer for many different tv, theatre and film productions. 

Here is a list of some of the projects that Richard has brought to fruition:

helped to make the foam rubber costumes for the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ 

made a giant dead mouse for tv series ‘The Borrowers’ 

a cactus costume for Bjork for the 1994 MTV Awards 

puppeteered C3PO’s right arm for ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ 

helped to sculpt the Spice Girls animated puppets for music video ‘Viva Forever’ 

made and performed in Dragon costumes for various events for English Heritage 

helped to make a man-eating sofa for short film 'Junk Food' 

made an 8ft Skeleton puppet/costume for theatrical show ‘Mort’ 

made over-sized headphones, microphone and mixing desk to hang from the ceiling for Sony Music events 

made many animal, beast and monster masks for theatre

illustrated a recent children’s book called 'Donald Dragon' 

sketching for corporate events

www.sketchworksdesign.com


08 February 2022

Microsoft updates Windows Media Player - for Win11

 

Hello Windows Insiders, we are beginning to roll out the new Media Player for Windows 11 to Windows Insiders in the Dev & Beta Channels.

We designed the new Media Player to make listening to and watching your multimedia content more enjoyable on Windows 11, and we’re really excited to introduce it to all of you! Media Player beautifully showcases your local music and video collections and compliments the new look and feel of Windows 11.

At the heart of Media Player is a full-featured music library that allows you to quickly browse and play music, as well as create and manage playlists. If your music collection is in Groove Music today, your library and playlists will automatically migrate to this new experience. The update to the new Media Player will replace the Groove Music app.

The dedicated playback view features album art and rich artist imagery; these will appear in the full screen and mini player experiences as well.

www.windows.com


Helping users stay safe: Blocking internet macros by default in Microsoft Office

It’s a challenging time in software security; migration to the modern cloud, the largest number of remote workers ever, and a global pandemic impacting staffing and supply chains all contribute to changes in organizations. Unfortunately, these changes also give bad actors opportunities to exploit organizations:

“Cybercriminals are targeting and attacking all sectors of critical infrastructure, including healthcare and public health, information technology (IT), financial services, and energy sectors. Ransomware attacks are increasingly successful, crippling governments and businesses, and the profits from these attacks are soaring.”

For years Microsoft Office has shipped powerful automation capabilities called active content, the most common kind are macros. While we provided a notification bar to warn users about these macros, users could still decide to enable the macros by clicking a button. Bad actors send macros in Office files to end users who unknowingly enable them, malicious payloads are delivered, and the impact can be severe including malware, compromised identity, data loss, and remote access.

"A wide range of threat actors continue to target our customers by sending documents and luring them into enabling malicious macro code.  Usually, the malicious code is part of a document that originates from the internet (email attachment, link, internet download, etc.).  Once enabled, the malicious code gains access to the identity, documents, and network of the person who enabled it."

For the protection of our customers, we need to make it more difficult to enable macros in files obtained from the internet.

We’re introducing a default change for five Office apps that run macros: VBA macros obtained from the internet will now be blocked by default.

For macros in files obtained from the internet, users will no longer be able to enable content with a click of a button. A message bar will appear for users notifying them with a button to learn more. The default is more secure and is expected to keep more users safe including home users and information workers in managed organizations.

www.microsoft.com


Norton Motorcycles ex-boss Stuart Garner pleads guilty to illegal pension investments

Stuart Garner, the former owner of Norton Motorcycles, has admitted to illegally investing an estimated £11m from the firm’s pension scheme back into the business.

Garner was the sole trustee of three contribution schemes (Dominator 2012, Commando 2012 and Donington MC) that invested in Norton. Between 2012 and 2013, 227 people invested in the scheme in return for preference shares.

Under the employer-related investment (ERI) rules, no more than 5% of the total value of the schemes should have been invested, however each scheme was invested in Norton in full.

Subject to certain exceptions, it is a criminal offence to invest more than 5% of the current market value of scheme resources in ERIs, so Garner’s actions were passed to the court by The Pensions Regulator (TPR).

www.motorcyclenews.com


07 February 2022

North Korea: Missile programme funded through stolen crypto, UN report says

North Korean cyber-attacks have stolen millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency to fund the country's missile programmes, a UN report briefed to media says.

Between 2020 and mid-2021 cyber-attackers stole more than $50m (£37m) of digital assets, investigators found.

Such attacks are an "important revenue source" for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, they said.

The findings were reportedly handed to the UN's sanctions committee on Friday.

The cyber-attacks targeted at least three cryptocurrency exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia.

In other news Linus Torvalds says: "I'm staying out of the whole craziness with crypto and NFTs. Those people are cuckoo!"

www.bbc.co.uk


Reading for today: practice your faith

If you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. That is why daily prayers and religious reading and churchgoing are necessary parts of the Christian life

We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed.

By C S Lewis

From Mere Christianity


03 February 2022

Microsoft, that's not impressive: Admin Portal is offline!

 

Microsoft 365 Service health status (Midday UK time - 3 Feb 2022)

Title: Users may be unable to access the admin portal

User Impact: Some users may be unable to access the admin portal.

More info: While we're focused on remediation, admins can use the following:

Azure portal for User management, Licence management.

Exchange admin center for Mailbox migration and Distribution lists.

Exchange admin center, Teams admin center and other service specific admin centers can also be accessed directly through their links.

Current status: The revert of the update is taking longer than expected to complete. We're continuing our efforts to resolve the issue by also manually restarting the affected infrastructure to expedite the recovery.

Scope of impact: Impact is specific to users who are are hosted in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Not great Microsoft.
Especially when you are just about to put up all your prices
Grrr!!!


02 February 2022

Gmail’s new look starts rolling out from 8th Feb

New integrated view for Gmail features email, Google Meet, Google Chat and Spaces in one place

The new navigation menu allows you to easily switch between your inbox, important conversations, and join meetings without having to switch between tabs or open a new window. 

Notification bubbles make it easy to stay on top of what immediately needs your attention. When working in Chat and Spaces, you can view a full list of conversations and Spaces within a single screen, making it easier to navigate to and engage. 

When working in your inbox, you’ll be able to view the full array of Mail and Label options currently available in Gmail today. 

In the coming months, you will also see email and chat results when using the search bar, making it easier to find what you need by eliminating the need to search within a specific product.

www.googleblog.com


01 February 2022

Apple Could Turn iPhones into Payment Terminals

 

Apple is reportedly set to launch a service that would let businesses use their iPhones as payment terminals with no additional hardware - a move that could put pressure on market leader Block (formerly Square).

As Bloomberg reports, the feature has been in the works since 2020 when Apple paid $100 million to purchase Mobeewave, a Canadian startup whose contactless payment tech only requires NFC. The ability for small businesses to accept payment using only their smartphone will reportedly be arriving in a software update “in the coming months.”

For merchants to receive cardless payments today, they need a third-party payment terminal—the device you insert your credit card into or tap your phone on when making payments at a store. When Apple’s feature arrives, businesses can throw those out and instead accept payments by having customers tap their phones or cards to an iPhone used by the merchant.

www.gizmodo.com