The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) reported yesterday that in a consumer survey, it was found that a significant minority of adult Australians are missing out on the benefits of the internet and mobile phone technology.

The survey conducted by the ACMA last April also found that 17 per cent of Australians aged 18+ have never used the internet and the proportion not having used the internet is higher among older Australians, regional Australians and lower income households.

Mr Chris Chapman, Chairman of the ACMA, said that this is “a challenge because without the necessary skills and motivation, this group of adult Australians will be left behind as digitial media becomes increasingly integrated into everyday social, cultural and economic life.”

The survey was commissioned to assist the communications authority in understanding the attitudes of non-users behind their non-use or limited use of digital media specifically the internet and the mobile phone.

The report findings, according to the ACMA, will assist in developing policies and programs to build digital media literacy and to provide consumer advice in cybersafety and e-security.

An Australian small technology company will soon pilot a battery-powered supercard which promises to stop up to $1 billion a year in credit card frauds, the Sydney Morning Herald reported today.

The company is EMUE Technologies.

According to the report written by Asher Moses, the new supercard has been developed over 2-1/2 years.

Trials for the supercard would begin in quarter one 2009 with an Australian bank in conjunction with one bank each in Britain, Israel, Switzerland and Italy.

There would be no major changes in merchants systems, according to the report.

The new technology replaces the static three-digit security code found on the back of a credit card which is given out to the merchant together with card number and expiry date.

There will still be a security code. But instead of having it printed on the card itself, the code will be generated by entering onto card’s keypad a PIN selected by the user when the card was created. The code according to the report is a one-time number generated by the card using the PIN and a unique seed which is also generated when the card is created. Both PIN and the unique seed are stored with the bank.

If the PIN and the unique seed are not embedded onto the card but are stored with the bank, how is the security code generated? And validated?

The supercard automatically connecting to the bank’s system each time the cardholder uses the card?

Wow! This is one super credit card that I don’t mind having one. According to the report the technology could also be used for logging into online banking and for verifying a bank’s identity during phone calls from the bank.

I am sure more coverage will be written about this supercard. It is one technology we will include in our watchlist.

This is where you can find the SMH story: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/11/12/1226318724466.html