7:26 PM
If Amazon manages to follow through on its recent application to the
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, its customers might one day be able
to verify purchases via action-oriented selfies. According to the patent
application filed Thursday, Amazon has developed an image-based
authentication system that uses facial recognition technology and
sensors to detect an action like blinking to verify a user's identity
during a transaction.
The system could do away with some of the drawbacks of using passwords
for authentication, according to Amazon's application. Unlike passwords
that can be stolen or can be hard to input on the small keyboards of
mobile devices, a facial recognition system can verify a user's identity
and -- with the help of a blink, smile or tilting of the head --
confirm the person is a live human and not a photograph.
Similar Tests by Mastercard, Alibaba
Amazon did not respond to our request for more information. However, in
its patent application the company said, "As people are utilizing
computing devices for an increasing variety of tasks, there is a
corresponding need to improve the security available for these tasks."
A smartphone or other camera-enabled computing device, "can capture
image information for use in performing facial recognition to determine
an identity of the user," according to the application. With
instructions to carry out an additional action like blinking or
gesturing, the user can then "verify that the image information
corresponds to a physical being and not a representation of a user, such
as may be provided through a picture or video of a user."
Last year, MasterCard introduced a similar system called MasterCard
Identity Check. That system is expected to become available in the U.S.
sometime in the middle of this year. China-based Alibaba also began
testing a facial recognition-enabled payment system last year.
When it announced MasterCard Identity Check in October, MasterCard noted
that such a system could help speed up and simplify online transactions
by avoiding the need to direct customers to third-party payment
verification systems.
"The use of technology and data will move from a reliance on what the
consumer knows (passwords), to what they have (mobile phone or other
smart device) and who they are (biometrics)," the company said when it
announced trials of the system in the Netherlands and the U.S.
Biometrics Address Fraud, Simplicity Concerns
A survey of 10,000 consumers conducted by MasterCard found that more
than half -- 53 percent -- forgot important passwords "more than once a
week." The subsequent process needed to reset their passwords typically
took more than 10 minutes, according to the survey.
"As a result, more than a third of people abandon an online purchase,
while six in 10 said it led to missing a time-sensitive transaction like
buying concert tickets," MasterCard said. "More than half of people
want to see passwords replaced by something more convenient, while
continuing to deliver the same levels of protection and peace of mind."
Brendan Miller, an e-business and channel strategy analyst with
Forrester Research Inc., told us that biometrics can help businesses
overcome the two diametrically opposed challenges they face: reducing
fraud in online purchases and simplifying payment processes for
customers. Biometric technology "kills two birds with one stone," he
said.
While many consumers might currently find fingerprint-enabled
verification -- such as that used by Apple Pay and Samsung Pay -- "less
creepy" than facial recognition, the market for different types of
biometric authentication systems will probably remain wide open for a
while, Miller said. Other technologies emerging in the space include
heartbeat recognition, voice recognition and iris scans, he said.
credit:toptechnews
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