Kim Dotcom Claims He Invented Two-Factor Authentication

Kim Dotcom Claims He Invented Two-Factor Authentication

Yesterday, Twitter finally implemented two-factor authentication. It was enough to prompt Kim Dotcom to claim that he invented the security technique.

Taking to Twitter, the man behind Mega pointed out a patent from 1997 which he claims is proof that two-step security is, in fact, his idea. He went further, accusing companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter of infringing rights:

Google, Facebook, Twitter, Citibank, etc. offer Two-Step-Authentication. Massive IP infringement by U.S. companies. My innovation. My patent

Kindly, he’s also explained that he decided early on not to sue any of these sites — although he isn’t sure he can hold out much longer:

I never sued them. I believe in sharing knowledge & ideas for the good of society. But I might sue them now cause of what the U.S. did to me

The obvious question to ask here is: how much truth is there in Dotcom’s claims? Arguably, there are plenty of people who could try to lay claim to the system, but the patent, which he points to, seems legitimate enough.

Dating way back to 1997, it still accurately describes a system where a secondary access code is delivered by SMS. That could be difficult to beat. It will be interesting to see if any other claims creep out of the woodwork that date back more than 16 years. [Twitter via the Verge]


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