Forget About Passwords When You Have MePIN

We all know the importance of a strong password, and a strong password often consists of different permutations and combinations of numbers, alphabets, and symbols. Does it get on your nerves — because I do get annoyed sometimes — when there’re so many different passwords you would have to remember for different accounts?

I was just visiting various Casual Connect exhibition booths here in Singapore, and MePIN came to my attention because its pull-up banner read, “Because passwords are evil”. The thought that came to me was, “Passwords evil? Huh?” Markku Mehtälä (pictured right), CEO and co-founder of MePIN, explained that with a MePIN account, you can easily log into any account that uses the MePIN service or the standard OpenID web service, without having to type in your password. All you need to do is to authenticate via MePIN and you’re in the service.

The Helsinki startup has also recently announced its expansion plans of MePIN multi-factor authentication and user verification service that is aimed at the gaming industry, hence its presence at the Casual Connect event. It addresses the concern of theft and hacks within the online gaming industry. With the unique MePIN smartphone app or MePIN USB key, users are able to login to services, protecting their accounts and game currencies. With this service, it aims to prevent game developers from losing their customers and revenues due to phishing and hacking, reducing the amount of consumer frustration and support calls for lost passwords.

Markku explains:

The online gaming market is immense and continues to experience huge growth, but security remains a major issue. We recognised this and have developed a product which addresses a number of key areas of concern for game operators; hacking and phishing, and increasing customer care costs when dealing with passwords. MePIN is a simple and secure service that can have an immediate impact on customer loyalty and trust.

At present, MePIN is looking to expand to Asia, and is available as an iPhone app or a USB key. You can take a look at its introduction video below:

(Direct video link for mobile readers).