Amazon is going to make it simpler and more secure to make a purchase online. The Seattle-based company filed a patent for a technology that will let consumers pay by taking a selfie as opposed to keying a password every now and then.
How the technology works
The pay-by-selfie technology looks easy to use. The Amazon app will ask you to take a photo or video of yourself as soon as you are ready to buy a particular product. Then, to make certain that it’s really you and not an imposter, the app will use special facial recognition technology. Amazon’s patent application says the process identifies the user and verifies that the user requesting the transaction is a human being and not a robot.
The process will ask customers to carry out particular gestures, actions or motions to confirm the transaction. For example, the app might ask users to smile, blink or tilt their head, added Amazon.
“[This] causes the transaction to be performed after verifying performance of the action by the identified user,” it says.
Google creating something similar to Amazon
Google is making a similar technology to make shopping less complex and safer for its users. Currently, the search giant is trying out its Hands Free Payment, which enables users to pay for products with the use of their initials and face.
Google says it is still in the early stages of testing the visual identification system. With the use of an in-store camera, the system will confirm the identity of customers based on their profile picture on the app. The captured images are instantly erased from the system, said the Mountain View-based firm.
People cannot deny that typing password on a screen, especially on a small screen, can be complicated, and some users overcome that problem by saving their password into their device. But that solution can be risky. For instance, someone can get their hands on your phone and misuse your password. Hence, this new technology from Amazon could be quite beneficial for users.
Though applying for a patent does not mean Amazon will have this concept materialized soon, it is good that the company has such brilliant ideas in consideration.