Qualcomm reveals fingerprint tie-up with Tencent’s WeChat

Qualcomm has revealed a secure fingerprint authentication system that works with major Chinese player Tencent's WeChat payments.Emerging as an mpayment platform, WeChat has some 650 million monthly active users registered in China.Qualcomm is using its Haven authentication framework, which supports the SOTER protocol developed by Tencent for security authentication.This includes the fingerprint matching, processing, local storage, and communication to Tencent servers in the cloud. The technology is currently shipping in the Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered Vivo X6 device in China, and will be available in multiple smartphones over the coming months.The new fingerprint authentication will allow users to conduct online transactions just by touching a fingerprint sensor, instead of typing a PIN code or passwords.In China, WeChat is used to buy food, clothes, movie tickets and even U.S. homes. Fingerprints will be stored in the smartphone's hard drive, as a result, biometric information will be independent of apps.”The Qualcomm Haven platform's authentication framework supports convenient, robust security and the latest mobile payment standards,” said Sy Choudhury, senior director of product management, Qualcomm Technologies. “Users can now simply rely on their finger, face, or eye for account access and conducting online transactions using their mobile devices – all while being reassured that each step of the process is being executed with hardware-level security. PIN codes and passwords, which are cumbersome and vulnerable to data theft, are no longer needed.””With more consumers embracing the use of online payment platforms through their mobile devices, we are strongly committed to enhancing the security features in our devices, as showcased in the VIVO X6 smartphone,” says Alex Feng, chief marketing officer, Vivo. “Through our strong relationship with Qualcomm Technologies and Tencent, we will continue our efforts to provide the very best security and user experiences.”Qualcomm will be exhibiting at connect:ID 2016, 14-16 March, Washington DC. connect:ID is an international conference and exhibition that focuses on all aspects of identity technologies and the opportunities for their management in both the physical and digital worlds. http://www.connectidexpo.com

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