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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 23 June 2018
Alexa, I can trust you with my checkbook, right?

By KEN SWEET use of a four-digit PIN be-
AP Business Writer fore they will provide bal-
NEW YORK (AP) — Hey Al- ance and bank account
exa, what’s my bank ac- info over these speakers,
count balance? and suggest making those
Big banks and financial PINs different from the one
companies have started on a customer’s ATM card.
to offer banking through Apple’s Siri is the most re-
virtual assistants — Ama- strictive of the three virtual
zon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, assistants, only showing a
and Google’s Assistant — user a bank account bal-
in a way that will allow cus- ance on a screen, and not
tomers to check their bal- allowing other features like
ances, pay bills and, in the paying bills. Banks can in-
near future, send money tegrate Siri into their iPhone
just with their voice. And and iPad apps, but Apple’s
with the rapid adoption of HomePod smart speaker
Zelle, a bank-to-bank trans- that launched earlier this
fer system, it soon could be year does not currently ac-
possible to send money to cept banking commands.
friends or family instantly A company spokeswoman
with voice commands. declined to say whether
But the potential to do such that feature was coming.
sensitive tasks through a Google Assistant has the
smart speaker raises secu- capability to do individual
rity concerns. Virtual assis- voice recognition, provid-
tants and smart speakers In this June 14, 2018, photo, Gareth Gaston, Executive Vice President and Head of Omnichannel ing one additional level of
are still relatively new tech- Banking at US Bank, discusses voice assistant banking with a mobile phone, an Amazon Echo, security on that platform,
nologies, and potentially center, and a Google Home, right, in New York. but that is not implemented
susceptible to being ex- Associated Press on U.S. Bank’s Action yet.
ploited by cyber criminals. have Alexa skills that allow through bank-by-voice fair- a whole other issue when Security experts say that
Regional banking giant U.S. customers to check their ly restrictive. Customers will these assistants access and additional level of security
Bank is the first bank to be balances and pay bills. be able to check bank bal- share sensitive personal in- could be foiled, however.
on all three services — Al- There are other smaller ances, pay U.S. Bank credit formation. These apps will “Users’ voices can be re-
exa, Siri and Assistant. The banks and credit unions cards and mortgages, ask typically announce a per- corded, manipulated,
company did a soft launch that have set up Google Alexa or Google the due son’s available balance and replayed to the assis-
of its Siri and Assistant ser- Assistant or Alexa as well. dates on bills, and other over the speaker, which tants,” said Kurt Baumgart-
vices in early March and “We want to be there for basic functions. Money has the potential to create ner, a security researcher
this month started market- our customers in any pos- cannot be transferred from awkward situations at par- with Kaspersky Lab. “Also,
ing the option to custom- sible way that we can,” a U.S. Bank account using ties. In the case of Google with access to banking
ers. said Gareth Gaston, ex- voice yet, Gaston said, but and Alexa, users must cre- accounts and abilities to
Other financial companies ecutive vice president for the bank is considering the ate a secure connection transfer and pay out mon-
have set up virtual assis- omnichannel banking at option. between their bank and ey, remote financial fraud
tant features. Credit card U.S. Bank. Asking Google, Alexa or Siri the assistant through Al- may be within the reach
companies Capital One For now, U.S. Bank is keep- for the weather or to tell exa’s Skills or Google’s Ac- of cybercriminal groups
and American Express both ing the features available a joke is one thing, but it’s tions. All banks require the soon.”q

Survey: Companies in China feel pressure to give up tech

BEIJING (AP) — One in compelled to transfer tech- to the U.S.-Chinese dispute
five foreign companies in nology in exchange for but share the complaints
China feels compelled to market access” despite of their American counter-
hand over technology for Chinese assurances that it parts about market barriers
market access, a business isn’t required, the chamber and unfair regulation.
group said Wednesday, said. Some industries had higher
highlighting a key irritant in “China has pursued an im- rates of companies report-
an escalating U.S.-Chinese plicit strategy of trading ing they felt compelled to
trade dispute. domestic market share for hand over technology, ac-
The European Union Cham- new foreign technology,” cording to the European
ber of Commerce in Chi- the report said. chamber. That included 36
na’s report follows Presi- Trump is pressing Beijing to percent in aerospace and
dent Donald Trump’s order scrap or roll back technol- 27 percent in autos — both
for tariffs on additional Chi- ogy development strate- industries cited in Chinese
nese goods in response to gies its trading partners say plans to develop global
complaints Beijing steals include stealing or pressur- competitors.
or pressures companies to ing companies to give up The survey was conducted
hand over technology. know-how in violation of its in February and March,
Out of 532 European com- market-opening commit- In this July 11, 2016, file photo, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia before the latest escala-
Malmstrom speaks at the University of International Business and
panies that responded to ments. European compa- Economics in Beijing. tion in U.S.-Chinese trade
a survey, 19 percent “felt nies have been bystanders Associated Press tensions.q