Settlement In Ignition Lock Class Action Lawsuit - $120 Million In Damages Awarded

We have talked about the Ignition Lock Debacle, a few times over the last few years and the subject has sparked much discussion across industry and wider forums online, offline and through the media.

An article (in the source below) we were recently alerted to, explains that last Friday a settlement was reached between GM and 49 states attorneys-general (Arizona was the only state to not join the action).

The class-action suit brought by nearly all states was filed in reaction to GM's 2014 recall of nearly 9 million vehicles that had trouble with their ignition switches.

The lawsuit alleged that GM and high-level employees knew about the problem as early as 2004, but waited many years to recall it's vehicles, all the while marketing their vehicles as safe and reliable.

The $120 Miliion dollar settlement, apparently ends this case.

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According to the article, GM agreed to several terms:

• Not represent that a motor vehicle is “safe” unless they have complied with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards applicable to the motor vehicle at issue.
• Not represent that certified pre-owned vehicles that GM advertises are safe, have been repaired for safety issues, or have been subject to rigorous inspection, unless such vehicles are not subject to any open recalls relating to safety or have been repaired pursuant to such a recall.
• Instruct its dealers that all applicable recall repairs must be completed before any GM motor vehicle sold in the U.S. and included in a recall is eligible for certification and, if there is a recall on any certified pre-owned vehicle sold in the U.S., the required repair must be completed before the vehicle is delivered to a customer.

Breaking News - August Lock Acquired By Assa-Abloy

Breaking News:

August Lock Co. acquired by Assa-Abloy.

In a shake up of the lock manufacturing industry, reports are surfacing about the August Lock Company being sold to the worlds largest lock product manufacturer Assa-Abloy.

The sum of purchase is as yet undisclosed and the expectation is that regulatory approval will happen before the end of the year.

The August company launched in August 2013 after a crowdfunded campaign by it's inventor Yves Behar. The company led by CEO Jason Johnson will continue to operate independently until fully absorbed by the Assa-Abloy behemoth.

Yale, one of Assa-Abloy's oldest purchases and the company who first patented the modern pin tumbler lock system back in 1865, have also manufactured some high quality, yet competitive priced "smart" lock products in recent years. Many of their offerings are fairly reasonable quality and we like to recommend their products for their longevity, ease of use and aesthetically pleasing properties.

August modified their product offerings in the last couple of years, adding complimentary products to their initial door lock line up.

August were one on the first in a large group of crowdfunded inventors, to go to market with their door lock. Initial bumps appeared, as is common with many electronic products today, but they seem to have dealt with the issues along the way, professionally and quickly. That is a sign of an engaged operation, passionate about their offerings and concerned with the customer experience.

Many of the other large lock product manufacturers have released wireless electronic lock products to compete in this continually expanding market and we expect to see a number of additional startups get swallowed by the major industry players, before long.

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KRACK - Dangerous WiFi Security Flaw Discovered. And It Affects ALL WiFi Devices

Breaking News - The above video made by a CNN reporter, explains a recently surfaced issue with WiFi.

WiFi is almost synonymous with anything Internet related today, in the the modern age of the Internet Of Things.

Almost every household in much of the civilized world has access to or uses some version of wireless computer connections, in everything from cellphones to laptop computers to desktop computers to wireless security systems including but not limited to door locks, alarm systems, lighting controls, thermostats or even your door bell.

We are also not immune to surfacing issues with wireless products and within this blog, we have also touted certain products that may use WiFi to assist in access control or security.

While we have reduced our penchant for recommending wireless security products in the last couple of years, we still will recommend some products and mostly those that are not WiFi connected.
We recently became aware of a security flaw in Bluetooth products too, which we wrote about last month.

We continue to sing the praises of mechanical security products, like physical door lock systems, often recommended and installed by professional locksmith technicians.

Products like our Bilock - Extreme Security Restricted Key Systems, that are 100% Bump Proof and virtually pick proof. They use unique color coded heads to easily identify different keys. Lock systems can be master-keyed easily and still offer premium quality security, when many competing brands actually reduce perceived security of your locks through master-keying. It is quite well known throughout the wider industry, as well as hobby groups, training institutions etc. that master-keyed lock cylinders actually reduce an access points security by using multiple pin stacks in cylinder chambers.

Bilock, does not. There is only one pin per chamber and no top pins. This makes bumping, physically impossible and picking virtually impossible.

There are other brands of mechanical lock and key systems that do offer comparative security, like Abloy Classic, Protec, Protec II and a few other non pin tumbler type systems too.

With the current day desire by many consumers to incorporate access control products into their lives, intending to reduce the need to hand out a key to their children, partners, residents and visitors, the increase in sales of wireless, battery powered lock products, alarm panels, remote controls continues to increase annually.

In another video, over at Fortune magazine, it explains that some software manufacturers have developed patches for current products already in the wider market......






But, even though we should feel somewhat thankful that the providers of our Internet products are proactive with their responses to these new found security issues,

What about the thousands of other products already out there that are vulnerable to this KRACK WiFi security flaw?

Sometimes, I think many of these security flaws are deliberately released, after consumers have already invested in the latest and greatest, you beaut gadget. In a rather crude attempt to get consumers to spend more money again to protect themselves.

As a locksmith, concerned with offering my customers premium quality products that actually provide long term protection, I continue to write articles explaining the reasoning behind mechanical physical security products, that STOP any chance of wireless security loopholes.
Many products that I and my fellow locksmiths continue to offer and rely on, are designed to protect you for the longer term, are significantly more competitively priced, designed to last considerably longer, while minimizing maintenance for the homeowner, resident or tenant of a dwelling.

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Breaking News - Rumors Abound that The National Locksmith Magazine Have Closed Down

Rumors abound that The National Locksmith are or have closing/closed down.

Their site continues to indicate about their October 2017 issue.

The report is at this time unsubstantiated.


EDIT: 10/17/17 We have received confirmation from sources within the ILA (Institutional Locksmiths Association) and ALOA (Associated Locksmiths Of America) that this rumor is no longer just a rumor, but indeed a fact.

Since 1929, The National Locksmith Magazine has been a stalwart rage for the wider locksmith industry across the world.

Succumbing to the Internet Age is not surprising anymore.


Many of the brand names and product manufacturers are sourcing their advertising elsewhere today and TNL is but one of a long list of current companies who have been unable to transit from print to electronic media.

While it is sad to see another industry stalwart disappear, we must thank them for the many years of service to the locksmith community and wish them the best in future endeavors.

New Award - We Enter The Hall Of Fame

10 years in a row, we have received the above award.
Now we enter their hall of fame.
We consider ourselves a best practise company. We endeavor to provide our clients with premium quality products and services at competitive costs.
Occasionally, we receive a little recognition, which keeps us optimistic for the future and our passion for this trade alive.

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New Award - Rank #2 In "Top Locksmith Blogs - Worldwide" - By Independent Organization

​We are pleased to announce our recent recognition by an independent reviewer about our inclusion in their list of "Top 100 Locksmith Blogs In The World".

This independent site has no ties to any particular organization and judges its criteria on a number of factors, including longevity, number of comments, layout, regularity of posts, diction, readability, interest and variation of posts.

Click on the picture above to see this site and our #2 listing.

Thursday Night Is The Most Active Locksmith Call Night In Israel.

There is a website in Israel that promotes many different trades and offers FREE opportunities to tradespeople to advertise their offerings.

Unlike Home Advisor, Angies List, Thumbtack and other lead generation companies in the North American market, pro.co.il offer listings of tradespeople that consumers can call directly instead of being misled by middlemen lead generation companies hoping to profit off of your search. Many of the listed lead generation companies above tout their product as FREE to the consumer, however they continually fail to mention that their listed trades companies are actually competing for your business with sometimes hefty lead fees.

According to an article recently published, researchers determined that Thursday night is the busiest night for locksmith calls across Israel, with about a quarter of all locksmiths residing in and around the Tel Aviv area. Tel Aviv is the little countries largest city and naturally the busiest for locksmiths. Read the article in the source for more information.

The professional contact website (for locksmiths) is listed in the source below.

We also have a similar directory for locksmiths on offer through our A Locksmith In directory. We accept new applications from colleagues around the world.

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Midas Touch - Fingerprint Padlock Is The Perfect Product For Retail Security Solutions

The Midas Touch - PL1000 and PL1000B is a new product released February 14, 2017, that is gaining interest.

Two versions have been released. One for regular use, which we will talk about in a moment, and the other for use on bicycles.

The product allows for up to 30 fingerprints to be recorded within and uses upgraded image sensors to improve the security levels therein.









Specifications:

Fingerprint Sensor :

• Compliance with ANSI/INCIT 378 and ISO/IEC 19794-2
• Spatial resolution : 508dpi
• FAR : 1/100,000
• FRR : 1.59%

Fingerprint Padlock :

• Identified time : < 1sec
• Fingerprint capacity : 30 sets
• Battery type : Rechargeable Li-polymer battery
  Battery power : 4.2V 50mAh
• Battery life : At least 1200 times (lock & unlock) per charge. At least 160 times (lock & unlock) at low battery level
• Charging input : 5VDC @ 36mA (max), USB charge port for battery charging and emergency power
• LED indicator/ Beep tone : for unlock, lock, fingerprint mismatching, enrollment mode, low battery, charging
• Housing material : Zinc alloys
• Dimension : 63 x 28 x 10 mm
• Weight : 37g
• Shackle tensile strength : 25 ~ 30Kg
• Operating temperature : -10°C ~ 40°C
• Protection rating : IP54
• Certificate : CE , FCC

Fingerprint Recognition Algorithm Support

• Good adaptability to dry, wet, or fuzzy finger
• Repair the fractured fingerprints automatically
• Great anti-deformation ability
• Supporting 360 °Authentication
• Self-learning during usage
• ISO Standard: ANSI/INCIT 378 Compliant Extractor & Matcher
• Compliant ISO/IEC 19794-2 fingerprint minutia standards.
• Fingerprint Template Size < 1KB
• Verification speed < 700 ms

We have been touting biometric security for many years now, but have been reluctant to put complete faith in many fingerprint products for s few reasons.

1. Many customers desire to use fingerprint controlled devices outside. If weather and climate conditions are perfect, image sensors built into many fingerprint devices will operate flawlessly, but climate conditions today are far from perfect. In fact, many hardwired or battery powered access control products are severely affected by wet conditions, excessive humidity, wiring infrastructure shortfalls, sunlight, water and operational issues.
2. As a consequence of some of the above issues, many fingerprint sensors require to have their sensitivity setting turned down significantly. to enable many users fingerprints to be easily recognized by the device. This directly reduces the perceived security of your product.

As mentioned above, we believe that this particular fingerprint operated padlock could be a sensational solution for retail security. I'm sure you have seen and continue to see retail security devices connected to clothing items and other products in department stores, boutiques, dress shops etc.

Using a fingerprint padlock will mean the ability to efficiently limit access to authorized staff and not have to worry about lost keys or access cards or shared combinations.

Just remember, if you want your product to last and operate effectively, use it indoors.

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