The Virtual Interface Assist (VIA) is an unreleased remote-access device developed by and for Masrani Global Corporation. A prototype had been manufactured sometime before September 13, 2013 and was stored in the NMS Genetics Center, an International Genetic Technologies facility. The device was to be mounted on the wrist, and would permit employees to access and operate a wide range of company technologies on a short-range remote basis. Concerns about its one-click email access capabilities were raised during the prototype stage; developers and testers pointed out that the VIA would allow employees to view one another’s work email accounts, and if a non-employee obtained a VIA device they would be able to view proprietary information. Due to the privacy and security concerns, as well as the VIA’s prohibitive development costs, it was never cleared for production despite CEO Simon Masrani‘s support for the technology. Only the prototype was ever created.
