October 2020 Monthly Member Bulletin
- Executive Director Message
- New Transportation Council Steering Committee Elected
- November U.S. Payments Forum Meeting November U.S. Payments Forum Meeting: Open Sessions
- Council Highlights
- Recent U.S. Payments Forum Resources
- Congratulations New Certificants
- Update on Training and Exam Dates
- Follow the Alliance on Social Media
Executive Director Message
Our Organization Appreciates in Value Under COVID Limits
We are at the eight-month anniversary since we last met as both the Secure Technology Alliance and U.S. Payments Forum organizations at the 2020 Payments Summit in Salt Lake City in February. During that conference event, surrounded by snowy mountains and crisp clean air, we were all blissfully unaware of the coronavirus that had arrived on both coasts and was rapidly spreading across the country. Looking back on that time and all that has transpired since then, I am struck by how many changes we have endured as a society, as a security-focused industry, and as an organization representing these industries.
Besides the obvious repercussions to our society like the serious illnesses for millions and deaths for nearly 250,000 citizens, there has also been the quarantine keeping us away from our workplaces, the stoppage of air travel, and the shuttering of small businesses and restaurants, which has been devastating. Like many, I expected these disruptions to be for a few months and be limited to dense population centers, and then things would return to the way it was. But that was naïve of me and wishful thinking.
The security industry was jolted into action shortly after the country went into lockdown to try to deal with millions of non-digital natives trying to move their lives to online services with no one to show them how to do it correctly or safely. Zoom became the primary way for people to communicate and millions of people discovered online shopping, curb-side pick-up, and mobile delivery services like Instacart. People rushed to open new online accounts and put their payments preferences online. The fraudsters were quick to capitalize on the oceans of personal information and vulnerable credentials left exposed due to poor password hygiene. Today account takeover fraud is costing e-commerce retailers $16.9 billion and the number of stolen credentials for sale on the dark web is up 300 percent. Security experts and fraud mitigation tools are in high demand and little is expected to change even after COVID-19 gets under control.
As an industry organization, we were significantly impacted too. However, the storyline is not so negative when you consider how well we continue to deliver business intelligence about the rapidly evolving security landscape that was energized by the pandemic. People need fresh information and access to it through other channels has disappeared. Although we are not meeting at in-person conferences, our members are still able to network together and be educated about new technology and security services. We can still work in collaborative virtual working groups and publish articles, white papers, FAQs, and web resources. The lack of in-person events and face-to-face meetings have been replaced by virtual conference sessions, webinars, and video conference-enabled working committee sessions. The ability to still connect through the activities supported by the Alliance provides a valuable bridge between the way it used to be (pre-COVID) and the way it may be in the future. This value for Alliance members continues to appreciate the longer we remain under the business and safety restrictions of the coronavirus. Let’s all hope our security industry and society respond as well as the Alliance has.
Sincerely,
Randy Vanderhoof
Executive Director, Secure Technology Alliance
November U.S. Payments Forum Virtual Meeting
The U.S. Payments Forum is holding its next virtual all-member meeting from Nov. 9-12 and Nov. 17-19. All sessions are open to U.S. Payments Forum members and education sessions and panels are open to non-members.
The November meeting is featuring the Alliance Identity Council’s mDL Initiative, with the educational panel, “Mobile Driver’s License Implementation in the U.S.” Moderated by Randy Vanderhoof, the panel will discuss mDL implementation considerations. Speakers include: Andreas Aabye, Visa; David Kelts, GET Group NA; Tom Lockwood, NextgenID; Mike McCaskill, Florida Highway Patrol; Micheal Pettibone, Mastercard.
Sessions open to non-members include:
- A cross-industry stakeholder panel on EMV 3DS data element implementation and the impact on customer experience
- A panel discussing status and lessons learned from the use of QR codes in physical retail
- A panel discussing status and trends for mobile pay-at-the-pump
- An education session on sustainability initiatives in card issuance from CPI Card Group
- A cross-industry panel on considerations for Payment Account Reference (PAR) implementation
We encourage you to register for the meeting! The full meeting agenda is available on the Forum web site.
Follow the Alliance on Social Media
The Secure Technology Alliance has enhanced its presence on social media with robust platforms on Twitter and LinkedIn. Here are some ways you can interact with the organization: