Mastercard unveiled a new payment system that allows customers to pay with a smile or wave before a biometric reader. The new company aims to prevent long queues created by the customers while they are searching for their cards or phones at checkout.
- The company is teaming up with Fujitsu, NEC, Payface, PopID, and others to create baseline requirements for performance, privacy, and security. It aims to roll out the system to shops of all sizes. You’ll be able to enroll in the so-called Biometric Checkout Program either at the store or through an app. This week, a pilot program is launching in Brazil, and future tests are already planned for Asia and the Middle East.
Privacy vs. Capitalism?: As you can imagine, this has led to multiple privacy concerns, with citizens worried about hacking and government surveillance. In response, Mastercard emphasized that the biometric data will be converted into a digital template and be encrypted, with your face image only staying on your personal device.
In Related News: Amazon is another company integrating a biometric payment system. The company’s Amazon One lets customers pay for their items via scanning their palms. It is used in retailers like Whole Foods Market and retail Amazon stores such as Amazon Books, Amazon 4-Star, Amazon Pop Up, Amazon Go, and Amazon Go Grocery.
- After backlash from artists and activists, the Red Rocks Amphitheater recently quit using the Amazon palm scanning payment system due to privacy concerns.
