Google has formed a new Android Ready SE Alliance in its bid to push the use of tamper-resistant Android devices for everyday use cases such as digital keys.
The search engine giant reasons that most modern phones now include tamper-resistant hardware known as a Secure Element (SE) such as the Titan M chip that was rolled into the Pixel 3 launched in 2018. Google now hopes to bank on the SE to extend the use of Android devices for use as tamper-proof digital keys, ePassports, mobile driver’s license, and more.
“SE vendors are joining hands with Google to create a set of open-source, validated, and ready-to-use SE Applets,” share Sudhi Herle and Jason Wong, senior members of the Android team.
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Coming soon
The Android Ready SE Alliance is described as a coalition of SE vendors and device manufacturers that are all interested in bringing the use cases listed earlier on to Android devices.
Besides Google, the alliance currently includes Giesecke+Devrient, Kigen, NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Thales.
In addition to announcing the alliance, Google also launched the StrongBox applet, which it describes as a tool for storing cryptographic keys.
The duo make it a point to highlight that StrongBox isn’t just restricted to phones and tablets, and is in fact also designed to work on WearOS, Android Auto Embedded, and Android TV.
“We already have several Android OEMs adopting Android Ready SE for their devices. We look forward to working with our OEM partners to bring these next generation features for our users,” they conclude.
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Via: Engadget
