News Broadcasting
Verizon Expands and Enhances Next-Generation Identity Platform to Enable Safer, More Trustworthy Internet
Verizon Enterprise Solutions is expanding availability of its next-generation, cloud-based identity platform – Verizon Universal Identity Services – to Europe, effective immediately. The platform, previously available only in the U.S., also boasts new user-friendly features, including an updated mobile app, Quick Response code-enabled access, and a simplified end-user interface, making identities easy to manage and use.
Verizon Universal Identity Servicesuses multifactor authentication to verify users are who they say they are by combining an individual’s username-password with a computing device that generates a one-time password or a biometric scan, such as fingerprint recognition. Once authenticated, users can securely access online content such as websites, corporate resources and even electronic medical records from their computer, smartphone or tablet. Verizon’s cloud-based identity services are an alternative to traditional solutions and provide an easier, faster, more flexibleand secure way for organizations to implement two-factor authentication.
According to the “Verizon 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report,”weak or stolen passwords and credentials account for 76 percent of data breaches, underscoring the need for stronger online identities.
“The bad guys are becoming increasingly more sophisticated as they continue to probe business and government networks to gain access and steal information,” said David Small, chief platform officer for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “Verizon Universal Identity Services is transforming the business of validating online identities to provide a safer, more trustworthy Internet. Our platform will help achieve the vision of a single, trusted universal identity that individuals can use for all online activities, whether at home, at work or on the go.”
The Verizon identity platform is available on the iOS Android, Windows and BlackBerry operating systems and can be used to validate the identities of employees, partners and customers. The platform also features legally binding digital signature capabilities, such as those required for electronic prescriptions, online tax filing and license renewals.
In addition, anew,simplified end-user interfaceoffers administratorsan enhanced dashboard with expanded security and operations reportingthat help organizations address and demonstrate security compliance.
“Verizon has invested in expanding the availability and enhancing the features of its next-generation, cloud-based identity platform,” said Amy DeCarlo, principal analyst for security and data center services, Current Analysis. “By focusing on the end-user experience to create an identity platform that is easy to deploy, manage and use, Verizon Universal Identity Services stands out from other identity solutions available on the market today.”
Launched in the U.S. in 2010, Verizon Universal Identity Servicesis delivered from Verizon data centers to meet enterprise security, availability and reliability requirements.
Said Small:“Verizon is investing today to meet the online identity requirements of tomorrow. By continuing our close collaboration with government and industry stakeholders around the globe, we are working to create a global identity ecosystem that will improve the privacy, security and convenience of sensitive online transactions.”
News Broadcasting
News TV viewership jumps 33 per cent as West Asia war draws audiences
BARC Week 8 data shows news share rising to 8 per cent despite T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI: Even as individual television news channel ratings remain under a temporary pause, the genre itself is seeing a clear surge in audience attention.
According to the latest data from Broadcast Audience Research Council India, television news recorded a 33 per cent jump in genre share in Week 8 of 2026, covering February 28 to March 6.
The news genre accounted for 8 per cent of total television viewership during the week, up from 6 per cent the previous week. The spike in attention coincided with escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have kept global headlines firmly fixed on West Asia.
The rise is notable because it came at a time when cricket was dominating television screens. The high-stakes stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including the Super 8 fixtures and semi-finals, were being broadcast during the same period.
Despite the cricket frenzy, viewers appeared to be toggling between sport and global affairs, boosting the overall share of news programming.
The surge in genre share comes even as the government has enforced a one-month pause on publishing ratings for individual news channels. The move followed regulatory scrutiny of the television ratings ecosystem.
While channel-level rankings remain temporarily out of sight, the genre-level data suggests that when global tensions escalate, audiences continue to turn to television news for real-time updates.
