Tech

Forgotten Innovations: Technology Advancements That You No Longer Notice

Published

6 years ago

June 10, 2020

We live in an era where technology is king and the innovations that have come about thus far, have completely changed the way we live. Sure, we don’t have time machines or flying cars just yet, but there’s no denying just how society has become accustomed to the ability to get things done faster and more efficiently because of technology. In fact, we’ve become so comfortable with technology and rely so heavily on it that we barely even notice new innovations anymore.

Have we become spoiled now from the luxuries of technology? It’s quite possible. It’s almost as though we’ve grown so accustomed to the advancements that it’s become a high expectation now, simply because we know that it’s always changing and advancing.

We’ve actually taken technological advancements for granted if you think about it… almost like we don’t appreciate innovations anymore because they’ve become the new standard. Technology advancements are like employees who feel undervalued in their jobs, so to speak.

The technologies we take for granted the most are the ones we don’t even know exist. Did you know that the production and assembly of jewelry, home decor, and even the construction of your home are done through heat staking processes? Of course you didn’t know! But there are manufacturers all over the world that use the thermoplastic joining process of a hot riveting machine to produce the parts of some of the biggest pieces of technology we use every day!

To be fair, it actually is okay if you’ve taken technology for granted… Making various technologies a daily standard and expectation is the overall goal of technology in the first place, simply because it tells the tech industry that their advancements work and are the “new norm” now… think of it as motivation to keep advancing technology.

Nonetheless, it never hurts to have a small reminder of just how far we’ve come with technology. Let’s take a look at some advancements that were fresh and new that have now become a societal expectation.

Technological Advancements That Have Become the New Norm

Smartwatches

Smartwatches are a smaller extension of your smartphone with Bluetooth capabilities. Smartwatches allow you to send messages, answer phone calls, and check your social media accounts. But one of the biggest reasons why people love smartwatches is because they’re getting more serious about their health.

Smartwatches like the Apple Watch help Apple users track their steps and heart rate. For those who want a more affordable version, the Oshenwatch is the perfect replacement to the Apple Watch but with all the same Bluetooth capabilities and fitness functions. Smartwatches are the new norm for fitness on the go!

GPS

How in the world did we ever get to where we wanted to go without GPS? Well, there once was thing called a map and it was made of paper. You had to read it correctly to know where you were and where you needed to get to. Today, people don’t have time to try and figure out how to get from point A to point B… It’s much easier to have your GPS tell you turn-by-turn how to get there.

Later, technology advanced a little more with a site called MapQuest where you could put in the address of your destinations and print out the turn-by-turn directions. But technology decided that it still wasn’t as efficient as it could be. Later, there were actual GPS devices that you could put in your car that gave you turn-by-turn directions, but those became a little bulky…

Technology knew it could still do better than that, so it then advanced again and had GPS standardly installed to all smartphones, completely changing how we navigate the world around us. Without GPS in our phones, some of us would still be in “No Man’s Land!”

Rideshares

Rideshares have changed the way people commute to work and even how they have a good time! Since the emergence of rideshares people have been able to leave their cars at home and get to where they need to go without a ticking meter or several stops like on a bus. With rideshares, you can simply put in your starting and ending location and be charged one flat rate for a one-way or round trip ride.

Rideshares have also cut back on DUI occurrences simply because people are now taking full advantage of being able to have a good time and letting someone else get them to their destinations safely… It’s completely changed the way people travel and how they maneuver through cities.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth has forever changed the way we do things hands-free. In fact, it’s changed life as we know it from the point of view of the law! In the state of Tennessee, the “Hands Free Tenessee” campaign and law was introduced to eliminated distracted driving fatalities. Most cars now have Bluetooth capabilities to connect your phone to your car.

And, of course, Bluetooth extends beyond cars. You can listen to music, podcasts, and practically whatever you want through any Bluetooth device. This hands-free luxury is nothing new anymore but more so a typical standard of living.

Tech

CypherFace Targets Payment Fraud with Pre-Transaction Biometric Verification

Published

4 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Jonathan Grilli

Photo courtesy of CypherFace

A U.S.-based fintech company has deployed a facial biometric system that verifies user identity before digital payments are processed. CypherFace, which began commercial operations in 2024, is positioning its technology as a proactive defense against payment fraud that now costs billions annually.

Founder Syed Samir Hassan said the company developed the platform in response to the limitations of fraud detection systems that identify problems after transactions have already occurred. “Traditional fraud tools are reactive by design. They analyze patterns and flag suspicious activity, but the money has often already moved. We’re stopping it before the transaction completes,” Hassan said.

The Fraud Problem

Digital payment fraud has grown substantially despite existing security measures. Payment fraud in the European Economic Area increased to €4.2 billion in 2024, up 17% from 2023, according to data from the European Central Bank and European Banking Authority. Credit transfer fraud alone saw a 24% increase.

Synthetic identity fraud, which involves creating fictitious identities using combinations of real and fabricated personal information, has become particularly problematic. False identity cases increased 60% in 2024 compared to the previous year. These synthetic identities often pass initial verification checks because they use legitimate data elements.

Hassan said CypherFace was designed specifically to address this threat vector. “Synthetic identities work because they look clean on paper. They pass KYC checks. They build credit histories. But they can’t pass a live biometric verification tied to a real person. That’s the fundamental flaw we exploit.“

The company reports that fraudsters increasingly use AI-generated documents and deepfake technology to bypass security systems. CypherFace’s liveness detection technology is designed to identify these sophisticated spoofing attempts during the authentication process.

How the Technology Works

CypherFace provides businesses with an API that integrates into payment infrastructure. When a user initiates a transaction, the system prompts for facial verification. The technology captures and encrypts a facial scan, then applies AI-driven liveness detection to confirm a physically present individual is authorizing the payment.

The system processes the verification in real time without storing raw biometric data. Facial scans are converted into encrypted, non-reversible hashes. The platform returns only a verification result to the merchant, indicating whether the transaction should proceed.

“We designed this to be invisible to legitimate users and impossible for fraudsters,” Hassan said. “A real customer takes two seconds to verify. A criminal using a stolen card or synthetic identity can’t get past the liveness check. The math is simple.“

Deployment and Results

An e-commerce payment processor deployed CypherFace across its checkout infrastructure in late 2024. The processor was experiencing elevated chargeback rates driven by card-not-present fraud. Within 45 days of implementation, CypherFace flagged more than 1,200 fraudulent transactions that had previously bypassed existing security layers.

The integration reduced chargebacks by 62% in the monitored segment. The processor reported improved merchant satisfaction as legitimate transactions experienced minimal additional friction. The company has since expanded CypherFace to additional merchant accounts.

Hassan noted that the technology addresses a specific gap in payment security. “Most fraud prevention happens at the network level or through transaction monitoring. We’re adding a layer that asks a simple question: is the person trying to make this payment actually who they claim to be? If they’re not, the payment doesn’t happen.“

Market Expansion

CypherFace currently operates in the United States and is preparing to expand into Canada and Mexico in 2026. The company is targeting payment processors, merchant acquirers, and platforms with high transaction volumes and elevated fraud exposure.

Hassan said the company sees demand from businesses struggling with the cost of chargebacks and fraud losses. “Every fraudulent transaction costs more than the transaction value when you factor in chargeback fees, lost merchandise, and reputational damage. Businesses are looking for solutions that actually prevent fraud rather than just detect it after the fact.“

The fintech sector has broadly adopted biometric authentication, with major banks and digital financial platforms using facial recognition and fingerprint scanning for account access and transaction authorization. CypherFace is focusing specifically on payment verification rather than account login.

“We’re not trying to replace existing security. We’re adding a verification layer at the most critical point in the transaction flow,” Hassan said. “When money is about to move, we make sure the right person is authorizing it. Everything else is secondary to that.“