Amazon recently filed a patent which would allow users to pay with a selfie rather than a password.
With Apple Pay and Google Wallet allowing payment via NFC with biometric authentication, it’s not too difficult to imagine snapping a quick selfie at the checkout counter, or more accurately, at the checkout web page.
Amazon’s patent-pending system uses facial recognition for user details, and will not simply take a single image, instead providing instructions such as “blink your left eye” to ensure that someone hasn’t just taken a static image from the internet.
Extra functionality might also be added by integrating the system with Alexa, Amazon’s digital assistant.
Windows Hello uses a similar facial recognition for signing into Windows, but Amazon’s transaction-focused system is one of the first of its kind. MasterCard also began experimenting with selfie-based payment security last year.
Such technology could potentially be more secure than facial recognition alone since it requires the user to perform unique actions, similar to unique CAPTCHA codes.
The patent also notes that the system could be “fun for some users”.
There has been no announcement about when the system might be introduced.
Image credit: Amazon.com
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