The prototypes were developed by teams of designers and technology experts as part of the Mobile Phone Security Challenge launched last April.
In essence, the Government instigated a national search for designers to develop new ways of securing mobile phones against thieves and fraudsters on the back of research suggesting that 80% of phones contain data which can be used by criminals to access bank accounts, steal identities – mobile phone identity fraud rose by over 70% last year – or sell on personal data.
The Mobile Phone Security Challenge offered a total of GB pound 400,000 to designers and technology experts to come up with new ways of securing handsets, the data they contain and their future use as electronic ‘wallets’ when m-commerce technology is eventually introduced across the UK.
Applicants had to submit a tender outlining how they would approach the challenge, and identifying any relevant experience they may have.
Once selected by a panel of experts, the teams would be allocated money for R&D, and spend six months developing designs and working prototypes in one or more of three key areas:
Design solutions chosen
The three design solutions selected are:
Potential for the new ideas
Home Office minister Alan Campbell said: “I believe the solutions developed by this challenge have the potential to be as successful as previous innovations such as Chip and PIN, which reduced fraud on lost or stolen cards to an all-time low. I would encourage industry to continue working with us and adopt them.”
The Challenge is itself part of Design Out Crime, an initiative devised by the Home Office’s Design and Technology Alliance Against Crime and the Design Council, and supported by the Technology Strategy Board.
The Design and Technology Alliance and the Design Council will now be calling for the mobile phone industry to protect their customers by adopting these innovative security technologies.
To date, the Mobile Phone Security Challenge has been steered by a group of leading specialists:
