Brian Krzanich, chief executive officer at Intel, spoke at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) about the rebranding of the newly acquired McAfee.
Although Intel will retain McAfee’s red shield logo; their “products will be rebranded” to match the new Intel Security Group (ISG).
Krzanich said: “Intel’s intent is to intensify our efforts dedicated to making the digital world more secure, and staying ahead of threats to private information on mobile and wearable devices.”
Doug Davis has been chosen as head of the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Group (ITSG). The group’s focus is on markets such as:
• Industrial automation
• Communications systems
Krzanich demonstrated to the audience new devices such as:
• Wearable health and biometric devices
• Small wireless computers for appliances
• Stylish bowl-shaped mobile phone charger
Krzanich explained the benefits of having an electromagnetic energy pad that will recharge a cell phone.
Having appliances and electronics blend into everyday life, Krzanich believes that customers will appreciate that their electronics has lost their traditional look.
Krzanich remarked: “We’re looking at a broad ecosystem of wearables, not just the device or the silicon.”
One of the devices unveiled is intended for children.
This smartwatch is equipped with “geo-fencing” that will alert parents that their child has walked off, or possibly disappeared after not coming home on time.
Geo-fencing can be used at home, for school or in a familial neighborhood where the location of children can be assessed because they are wearing a device that uses GPS tracking and location.
Two years ago, Texas was the scene of the implementation of the Student Locator Project (SLP) which used radio frequency identification technology (RFID) to “make schools safer, know where our students are while at school, increase revenues, and provide a general purpose ‘smart’ ID card.”
The “smart” ID card allow students to:
• Check out library books
• Register for classes
• Pay for school lunch daily
This scheme also allowed for tracking of students to deter them from skipping classes.
RFID chips used in cell phones can track a user within centimeters of their GPS location thanks to new technology being employed in smartphones.
Apple, Google and Microsoft have been tracking their customers for years, storing personal digital data and collaborating with law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
In Maryland, school districts installed PalmSecure, a biometric scanning system that requires elementary students to place their hand on infrared scanners in order to pay for their school lunch.
In 43 schools, Maryland installed a surveillance system with $300,000 of taxpayer money.
The unique nuances of each child’s individual hand will be catalogued and the image encrypted with a numerical algorithm that is combined with the cost of school lunches.
It is predicted that in 75 years “microchips can be installed directly in the user’s brain. Apple, along with a handful of companies, makes these chips. Thoughts connect instantly when people dial to ‘call’ each other. But there’s one downside: ‘Advertisements’ can occasionally control the user’s behavior because of an impossible-to-resolve glitch. If a user encounters this glitch — a 1 in a billion probability — every piece of data that his brain delivers is uploaded to companies’ servers so that they may “serve customers better.”