MePIN, the Finnish smartphone authentication startup, has just updated their product with a new release, and with it comes more applications of the system. The company was launched to provide a secure authentication system linked to a smartphone for online services, and now offers a wider platform for companies to take advantage of.
MePIN’s API allows developers to plug the startup into their online or mobile services to require users to authenticate through MePIN’s phone application before proceeding. For users, by clicking the ‘log in with MePin’ button on some service, you’ll find a push notification on your phone asking you to authenticate the login.
With the new update, MePin also allows trusted messaging and transaction verification, which gives developers a chance to use MePin for more than just a login. One application MePIN CEO Mr. Markku Mehtälä pictures for this new feature is the ability for parents to authenticate if it’s okay to enable an in-app purchase, or to limit how much their children are allowed to play. The demo version he showed at our office showed this functionality, as well as showed what rank your kid was compared to other children, which I though was kinda cool.
“Parental control has been almost a curse word for some gaming providers, so it’s about time to bring it to the modern age. Our solution is a win-win-win proposition, where the game publishers gets away from the hurdles of payment authorization hence seeing increased business with the added trust and security, the kids can get parental approval for in-game transactions and gameplay flexibly without having to wait for their physical presence, and the parents gets involved in the game and kids’ online life without interfering the joy of playing.” states Mehtälä.
Other gaming services will be able to take advantage of this functionality, such as online poker or MMOs, where stolen accounts can mean real money. MePIN is already plugged into CabalOnline, an MMO popular in Korea. Additionally, we hear they’re running a trial with a bitcoin service. MePIN was founded in 2010 and offers banking-grade Public Key Infrastructure.