I will be chairing the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Water, Food and Energy Security at the NY headquarters at 12 am today

We are pleased to offer you the role of Chair at one of the Water, Food and Energy Security tables at the UN Private Sector on 20 September from 12:00-14:30 at UN Headquarters in New York.

World Economic Forum 2011 Annual Meeting of the New Champions, Interview with Carlos Moreira

WISeKey
Brand New Key

Carlos Moreira is nothing if not prescient. Back in 1999, the WISeKey chief executive officer saw that the Internet was hip. It was snappy. It was game-changing. Obviously, it was user-friendly. But there was one big downside: the Web’s security infrastructure was porous and ill-equipped for stable, secure transactions. “We knew one day this would be a real problem,” Moreira recalls. “The question was, while maintaining a cool, open infrastructure, how could we start developing reliable security solutions?”

Geneva, Switzerland-based global e-security leader WISeKey (WIS stands for World Internet Security) is dedicated to restoring the universal right to privacy and anonymity – or at the very least the right to choose when and how to entrust others with personal, identifiable information. By providing governments, businesses and individuals with state-of-the-art, military-grade specialized security and digital identification technologies, WISeKey’s ongoing mission statement is succinct: “to facilitate and enable the mass use of secure digital identities in everyday life.”

From the beginning, WISeKey engaged in early, complex and high-end applications, including working alongside the Swiss government to secure airtight political e-voting from personal computers, and partnering with Microsoft on its Citizen Service Platform, which enables local, regional and national governments to allow citizens and enterprises to identify and authenticate themselves across borders and multiple identity systems and cloud services. Then as now, WISeKey subsidiaries also solve advanced e-security issues for organizations in sectors ranging from defence and health to education and finance. And last year WISeKey made news by announcing plans to collaborate with venture capital firm WI Harper on developing business opportunities in China on behalf of telecommunications and e-commerce businesses.

Today, though, it’s not only industries and governments that need to secure data. Thanks in large part to social networking, individuals want to protect and own their private information, too. Says Moreira: “If the highway a car is travelling on is not secure, then you need to secure the car.” Which is why, over the last five years, WISeKey has also migrated “from an haute couture to a prêt-a-porter platform”, in Moreira’s words. The goal: to help users migrate from an obsolete, password-based infrastructure to a digital identity encryption-based one.

WISeID is a downloadable, theft-proof application that stores and accesses a person’s usernames, passwords, PINs, account numbers, bank and credit card details, frequent flyer programmes, rewards points, and other user credentials, creating a single, standalone digital identity. This way, every single identity and contact detail is traceable to a single person, and his or her mobile device. Lost your smartphone? You are the only one who knows your credentials. Moreover, a copy is stored on an encrypted cloud under the user’s control. With the personal data stored safely in WISeID, individuals regain the privacy they had all but forgotten was their right.

Moreira is particularly excited about WISeKey’s partnership with football club Real Madrid and its use of WISeID on behalf of its 600 million fans worldwide. As one of the world’s leading emotional brands, Real Madrid recognized that its enormous and devoted fan base needed a dependable way to establish a trusted online community – and called upon WISeKey to create a proprietary digital identification platform to monetize both the content and the interactions with fans. “Unlike with Facebook, the digital identity belongs to you, the individual, the fan, and not to the service provider,” says Moreira. Not least, Real Madrid shows that security can be monetized via advertising and rewards programmes, with the proceeds evenly divided among the club, the network provider and WISeKey.

WISeKey’s continuing growth and global leadership – the company recently finalized the construction of a second high security data centre in Bilbao, Spain, in addition to the one it has already built in Geneva and the one in operation in the Swiss Alps – is due in no small part to its dynamic chief executive officer. As an early participant in the evolution of the Global Growth Company (GCC) Community, Moreira dubs WISeKey’s alliance with the GGC as one of the company’s “most relevant milestones”, one that he says has benefited the company in countless ways, not least in terms of international exposure. “As we travel around the world to regional meetings,” says Moreira, “the interaction between WISeKey and all these different sectors, from health to e-government to banking and technology, has brought our outreach to new dimensions. It’s been exciting to see the connections between WISeKey and global growth.”

Humans are so enamoured with the digital revolution that it is easy to forget that one of its downsides is the erosion of anonymity. WISeKey’s industry-defining technology platforms help bring identity back to where it belongs: in the individual’s own hands.

WISeKey
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Industry Sector: Information Technology
Management: Carlos Moreira, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder
www.wisekey.com

WIseID Showcased on Spy Kids 4 Movie

 

Image of Spykids encrypting their communications using WISekey technologies during the movie.

WISeKey announces the launch of the Spy Kids 4 mobile app, available on iTunes. The Spy Kids app - built in collaboration with the Dimension Films and Troublemaker Studios - features WISeKey's encryption technology to create "secret messages". A text message entered into the app will be encrypted and sent to a friend's mobile device, and only those with the Spy Kids app will be able to decode the message.

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World is the fourth installment of the action series by acclaimed film-maker Robert Rodriguez. The film features unique interactivity through using aromascope cards to experience smells during the movie. The inventive film franchise was an obvious fit for the cutting-edge Swiss security company. WISeKey is always exploring ways to reach new audiences and striving to offer a compelling brand experience. Spy Kids: All The Time In The World in 4D is in theaters Friday, August 19th. For more information go to Spykidsmovie.net.

WISeKey is partnering with media companies to build global network ecosystems in the intersection between brands, ads and digital IDs. Under the umbrella WISeID Social Media™, WISeKey connects the strong identification of their secure mobile app WISeID with passionate fans who want more from prestigious brands, along with a safer online experience. WISeID Social Media allows brands to become part of how people interact on mobile devices.

WISeKey technology is currently used to enhance the social experience for brands such as FC Real Madrid, Hublot, and now Spy Kids.

WISekey China second phase launch in September

In a bid to bring leading digital identity solutions to China's large and quickly developing economy, WISeKey will be innagurating WISekey China offices in beijing in September 2011.

The WISekey China JV is aimed at creating convergence in the WISeID ecosystem in China by offering WISeKey's expertise in value added services and products to the growing user community of WISeID users.

WISeKey has signed and exclusive agreement with Real Madrid C.F, the twentieth century's best soccer club, for the exclusive distribution of the club's mobile content in China this coming season 2011/2012. The announcement validates the new media strategy WISeKey is now deploying with famous brands, allowing them to monetize their brand value by associating the WISeKey ecosystem of users in selected countries with restricted mobile content rights provided by the brands.

Under the deal, WISeKey and Chinese partners will be responsible for distributing and marketing Real Madrid's mobile content, covering China and the extended network of Chinese Real Madrid fans.

WISekey History

History

WISeKey was founded by Carlos Moreira. Prior to WISeKey, Moreira served as an expert on IT, e-Security and telecommunications for 15 years at United Nations Organizations, including the European Free Trade Association, the International Labor Office (ILO), International Trade Center, and UNCTAD.[3] His work focused on consulting on security and new technologies. Moreira was named Man of the Year in 2007 by the Swiss business magazine, AGEFI. WISeKey has been analyzing the issues surrounding security for many years. In its first years, WISeKey globally launched and operated Root Certification Authority services. WISeKey took a special interest in contributing to e-Government solutions, such as the electronic voting or e-voting system implemented in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, the Citizen Service Platform implemented for the government of Biscay, Spain, and current initiatives to help governments establish digital ID programs. In the June 2011 issue of Bilan, Carlos Moreira was named one of the 300 most influential persons in Switzerland in the pharma and technologies sectors.

Technology - A public key infrastructures (PKIs) is an arrangement that binds public cryptographic keys with respective user identities by means of a certificate authority (CA). WISeKey uses distributed root-based PKI and Trusted Electronic Identification (“eID”) technologies to provide identification, authentication, and encryption services through the use of digital certificates.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)PKI is the foundation for online commerce and other applications that require security and authentication in an open network. Public-key cryptography requires a public-key infrastructure to publish and manage key values. WISeKey developed its CertifyID product line to protect financial transactions, secure email, authenticate web sites, all tightly integrated with the Windows Server platform.

PKI certificates are the commonly accepted method for authenticating and protecting valuable transactions, beginning with their fairly transparent use in enabling secure sockets layer (SSL) web sites which allow you to trust the site you are using with personal and confidential data, without any risk of leaks. Certificates are also supported in all major web browsers allowing easy client authentication. The same is true for secure devices such as smart cards and USB tokens.

This approach also allows WISeKey to provide companies with the flexibility and scalability they need to satisfy their own requirements. Companies can choose to deploy a framework hosted entirely within their own facility, or partner with WISeKey to implement a managed service hosted at WISeKey’s secure data centre. WISeKey can provide certification services to a small company as well as a national identity system, with in-house or managed modes of deployment.

eIDGovernments and countries are rapidly adopting eID cards as the most secure infrastructure for providing e-Government services.

Individuals can use the trusted electronic Identity (eID) in their business activities as well as their personal transactions. A trusted eID can be used on any secure storage device that will be accepted across the Internet for secure communications and transactions.[7]

Bespoke Solutions- WISeKey supports the paperless office allowing digital signing and time-stamping of documents and archiving that follows complete legal and audit compliance.

WISeKey develops secure transactional solutions to meet specific legal requirements of entities around the world, offering operations with total security, reduced risk, and legally binding audit trails.

Trust ModelWISeKey provides specialized security technologies for data protection, and effective identification and authentication of people and objects over physical infrastructures, networks and the Internet. The company’s philosophy is that the use of secure digital identities can ensure trusted communications and electronic transactions, without hindering the Internet’s efficiency and ability to transfer information.

In order to operate in the market of digital identities, a high level of trust needs to be built up. WISeKey leverages its unique position as a Swiss company with a global reach. WISeKey has developed a novel institutional and trust management framework that enables entities using it to convey trust through the segregation of ownership of components of the technological infrastructure, intellectual property rights, and policy creation authority among entities that are, by law, structured differently and in a manner that reinforces the management of trust. Swiss neutrality and privacy laws enable the company to operate without geopolitical or governmental constraints.

Operations and AuditingWISeKey’s operations are audited annually by independent auditors designated by the OISTE Foundation[8] to ensure its compliance with the OISTE Foundation-approved policies and procedures as well as industry-recognized operations standards such as WebTrust for Certification Authorities.[9]

OISTE FoundationWISeKey is backed by the OISTE foundation to guard and manage its root keys. The OISTE Foundation is a non-profit international organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1998, OISTE was created with the objectives of promoting the use and adoption of international standards to secure electronic transactions, expand the use of digital certification and ensure the interoperability of certification authorities’ e-transaction systems.

As part of its relationship with the OISTE Foundation, WISeKey is bound to promote the security of electronic communications worldwide and ensure compliance with essential rights related to information protection online such as privacy laws. It is from this trust model that the WISeKey initiative “The Right to Disappear” evolved: the company is becoming a leading advocate to protect individual privacy rights online while enabling people to maximize the use of the Internet.

High Security Data CentersWISeKey has built its own high security data center in Geneva and is currently finalizing another data center in Bilbao, Spain.

WISeKey root systems backed by OISTE are created and maintained in secure military bunkers under the Swiss Alps and operated by the Swiss Army, recognized as one of the most secure areas in the world today. Because of Swiss confidentiality laws, no private or government body can force the root key to be divulged. This guarantees that all information and data encrypted through OISTE/WISeKey certificates will remain secure. This approach is unique as no other infrastructure of its kind exists in such a high security environment, and the level of neutrality and protection afforded by stringent Swiss confidentiality and security laws is second to none.

The Right to DisappearIn November, the EU issued a proposal on the revision of several of the 1995 directive, which will be voted in 2011. This new directive provides in particular the right to "disappear" to users. This is currently not on social networking sites like Facebook.

Carlos Moreira has been a strong advocate for the protection of consumer data being compiled on a daily basis by companies and social networks. No regulations are in place to police how this data is used, or even to define standards around the security around the storage of this data. This compiled data is personally identifiable information (PII) that can be used to identify or trace a unique individual, or make that person vulnerable to hacking. It is WISeKey’s philosophy that any agency collecting PII has the responsibility to keep it secure and use it only in a responsible, transparent manner, of which the consumer is advised in advance and has the option to opt-out.

CFarlos Moreira Interview with CNBC Simon Hoobs on the Right to Disappeear

Church security measures should be stepped up after deadly church blast in Egypt. I was few days before on an Egyptian Coptic Church in Sharm celebra

Church security measures should be stepped up after deadly church blast in Egypt.

I was few days before on an Egyptian Coptic Church in Sharm celebrating Christmas with my family. Few days later an explosion outside a Coptic church in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria killed at least 21 people and injured 80, in an attack on an unprecedented scale that marks a serious escalation in sectarian tensions in the country. During my visit to the Coptic Church I had the opportunity to see strong security at the entrance of the Coptic church with armed security guards with bomb-sniffing dogs with increased screening at the door and using the same techniques we already use in airports.

I am sure after this new attack Church security measures will be stepped up in Egypt and many other countries facing terrorism threats. These latest attacks in Iraq and Egypt together to the two recent attacks against churches in the Central Java province of Indonesia has prompted national authorities to open investigations and step up their security measures in fear of further attacks to Churches.

Securing Churches is a serious work than needs professional expertise, as it is the case with securing airports our public places. The problem is that churches do not have the financial resources of airports and will become easy targets. This is going to be a problem for the years to come and Churches should be protected by the governments hosting them.