Not that we need one, but MasterCard is giving us a reason to take a selfie. The company is working on a new payment method that will let you pay by simply taking a selfie.
A latest report from CNN Money states that MasterCard is testing new facial recognition technology that would let customers verify their identity online by taking a selfie. The experimental feature uses your camera’s front-facing camera and facial recognition technology so that you can pay with your face. In order to use the upcoming function, customers will be required to download the MasterCard app on their phone. This app then converts the photo into 1s and 0s using facial recognition technology, and transmits it over the internet to MasterCard, which compares it with a stored code representing the cardholder’s face. If the two codes match up, then the purchase will be approved.
“The new generation, which is into selfies … I think they’ll find it cool. They’ll embrace it,” Bhalla says. “This [app] seamlessly integrates biometrics into the overall payment experience”.
said MasterCard chief product security officer Ajay Bhalla.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fCMUxiIIlY
The biometric system is called ID Check, created by MasterCard in partnership with Google, Apple, BlackBerry and Samsung. MasterCard’s facial recognition feature will roll out to only about 500 users at first and they will use either a fingerprint or a selfie to verify identity. If all goes well, the company will start rolling out its new plan starting this fall. Bhalla says the image like other biometric forms will be converted to a format such that a person’s photo is neither stored nor transmitted in its normal construction. MasterCard is even working on pay-with-your-voice technology.