Keeping your sensitive data safe if your phone is stolen
CategoriesSustainable News

Keeping your sensitive data safe if your phone is stolen

Spotted: Mobile phone theft has become so common, occurring approximately every six minutes in London, that phone companies and the city mayor met in late 2023 to explore collaborative means of reducing such robberies. And, with smartphone capabilities having grown rapidly in recent years, the problem goes beyond the loss of a handset; a stolen smartphone now opens up the potential for criminals to access important personal data, including bank accounts and crucial passwords.

UK fintech startup Nuke From Orbit has created an app to help prevent the loss of such valuable data. The Nuke app allows users with an account to list other devices and a network of contacts as backups. Should the worst happen, and someone is locked out of their various accounts because their phone has been stolen, the user logs in via another device or listed contact to securely access their Nuke account.

Nuke From Orbit’s recent research found that 51 per cent of mobile owners use a digital wallet, which means that an unlocked phone poses great danger to the user if someone else is in possession of the handset. To alleviate that threat, Nuke From Orbit’s first-of-its-kind digital panic button allows account holders to block access to bank accounts, SIM numbers, web accounts, and more, as well as cancel bank cards. Users can then begin the onerous process of resetting passwords and ordering new bankcards but without the added stress of having lost money.

Nuke offers a free version of the app that provides protection for web accounts only. To protect bank accounts and payment cards, users must sign up for a monthly or yearly subscription. Nuke requires a minimal amount of personal data to set up an account, along with a relatively complex password, and there is no limit to the number of accounts that can be listed in the Nuke app.

As more of the world’s financial interactions move online and offline communities begin connecting to the internet, data security grows in importance. Innovations in Springwise’s library, like an offline banking platform and the use of blockchain in tracing supply chains, highlight some of the ways financial and digital transactions are being kept secure.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Safe and natural baby hygiene products for the African market
CategoriesSustainable News

Safe and natural baby hygiene products for the African market

Spotted: Many of the care products currently on the market in African countries are of Western origin, created by Western experts, and based on Western tastes. Nigerian baby and child healthcare company Mobaby Care is working to change this with a line of all-natural skin and hair care solutions designed for babies and children.

Mobaby was started by Nigerian scientist and entrepreneur Maryam Adebola-Salami, who was inspired after using a synthetic oil that burnt her child’s skin. She decided to create products that use only all-natural, local, oil- and herb-based formulations, that are specially designed for African skin. The products are also manufactured for African needs, for example, many of the products contain natural mosquito repellents and protection from UV rays.

Mobaby argues that health and the gender gap are interrelated issues, and the company also keeps this larger picture in mind. Accordingly, 60 per cent of its suppliers and 50 per cent of its partners are female-led, and 80 per cent of Mobaby’s staff are female. The company’s focus is on helping women maintain their health and the health of their family, but also on education and providing much-needed jobs.

This year, the company partnered with Access Bank, through its Project Uwar campaign, to distribute 3000 birthing kits across communities in northern Nigeria. The kits are designed to aid in safe delivery and promote breastfeeding. Mobaby is also working on a project to match mothers with healthcare professionals, as well as an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that can help answer parents’ questions about their children’s skincare and hygiene.

More and more companies are realising that one product does not fit all when it comes to health and beauty. Some of the innovations Springwise has spotted in the archive include an online marketplace that combats fake medicines in Africa and a portable, handheld disease testing kit.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference