No more fingerprints, PINs, security systems: soon you will be able to pay for something purchased on Amazon simply with a selfie. As reported by the specialized press, in fact, Amazon applied for the patent for payment via Selfie.
The company of Jeff Bezos has filed documentation for a process that will allow shoppers to pay with a photo or video of themselves instead of typing in a password, which we often forget. According to experts, paying with a selfie would increase the security of the transaction, because it is more difficult to steal than a password. But, someone says, an attacker could still be able to force us to take a photo...
Technical doubts aside, the patent builds on Amazon's previous technology that allows a device to authenticate someone through recognition in a photo or video. Now, with this patent, the possibility of authenticating the user to complete a purchase would be extended. Already a year ago Amazon's Chinese competitor, Alibaba, had presented its facial recognition technology useful for authenticating a user's identity. The technology, called “Smile to Pay” (smile to pay) and also “Pay with a selfie” (pay with a selfie) was developed by Alibaba's financial division, Ant Financial and is still in the testing phase.
“While many conventional approaches rely on password entry to authenticate the user, passwords can be stolen or discovered by other people,” Amazon's patent reads. “Additionally, [conventional approaches] may require the user to get away from friends or work colleagues when entering a password [to avoid detection], which can be inconvenient or embarrassing in many situations.” Will it be the payment method of the future?
