Photos: Design Council unveils mobile security tech

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Three new ways to keep your mobile phone safe have been unveiled today by the Design Council.

The innovations are the result of a challenge issued by the council and the UK government, which noted mobile phone identity fraud leaped by 70 per cent last year.

The three creations will be displayed at next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, with the hopes that industry players will use the designs to protect handsets.

The first is the i-migo. It's a Bluetooth accessory that users keep with them - and hopefully doesn't get stolen alongside the handset. When the i-migo and the phone are within 10 metres of each other, the phone works as normal and data is regularly backed up to the i-migo.

If the phone is lost or stolen and taken out of range, an alarm sounds on both the device and the phone, which is then automatically locked, so the thief can't access any of the data or use the handset.

The second idea is the Tie. Using this system, all data is automatically encrypted and protected by a four-digit PIN. The SIM is also paired to the phone, using what the Design Council described as trust chaining and an asymmetric cipher.

If someone steals the phone, a new SIM won't work in the handset, and all data will be locked to keep the victim safe from bank or identity fraud. A new SIM will need the phone's designated username, password and PIN to work - a bit of a pain for people prone to flipping different SIMs in and out of their handsets.

Lastly, there's TouchSafe. This is designed to make mobile transactions safer. It requires users to carry a small RFID card, which acts as a second authentication factor for transactions.

Users tap it to the phone, and using Near Field Communication, it activates the phone for spending - meaning the handset can't be used for such "m-commerece" without it. Again, users will need to ensure the TouchSafe isn't stolen alongside their handset.

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said in a statement: “Overall crime has fallen since 1997 but as new technology creates new opportunities for the user it can also provide criminals with opportunities as well. This is where designing out crime can make a real difference and we are leading the way by using technology to protect the public.

“I believe the solutions developed by this challenge have the potential to be as successful as previous innovations like Chip and Pin, which reduced fraud on lost or stolen cards to an all time low, and would encourage industry to continue working with us and take them up.”

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