BioPay QuikTouch: A (less) convenient biometric payment system

So what'cha what'cha what'cha want…a sense of greater security or ease of use? BioPay's QuikTouch solution is betting on the former requiring something you have (your finger) and something you know (a ten-digit number). Oddly, they suggest that the ten-digit number is "typically your phone number." Er, why not just suggest they write the number on their finger to further defeat the security model for crissake!? While two-factor authentication is certainly appropriate for those dismembered security fobs required by corporate IT, the chances of leaving a finger behind at happy hour are pretty damn slim. And if finger theft of the rich is their concern then why not just use biometric heat signature (instead of fingerprint) like Pay By Touch systems in use elsewhere? Regardless, prepare to get funny with the money that you flaunt 'cause biometic payment solutions will become ubiquitous as retailers bring down the axe on those credit card and debit card transaction fees.

[Thanks, William]

[Yet another matt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

wow... what lovely nails she has... did they find her off the street

theyre obviously not smart, otherwise they would realise remembering 7 digit numbers is pretty difficult for most people

[William K @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

One man had a biometric lock on his car. Thieves cut his finger off so they could access the car.

Makes sense to have a number or something but I wouldn't think that a phone number would be a good idea.

Remebering a string of numbers isn't really difficult if you use that number everyday. I just had my GCSEs (one in about 3 hours and after that I'm free) and we had to write our 4-figure candidate number and 5-figure centre number on every exam. When going to a Magic: the Gathering prerelease, I forgot my DCI card and they needed my DCI number. Luckily I remembered the 8-figure number just before filling out a new form.

[Marcus @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Most modern biometric sensors 'feel' your heartpulse and temp of a finger. A cutoff wouldn't work

[Rob @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

The number is actually used to identify you, helping the system limit the number of fingerprints that need to be compared. If you simply used the print by itself, there is a chance (a slim one) that your FP signature may be the same as someone else's. Which would be bad news for vendor. So the number identifies you, and the fingerprint authenticates you are who you claim to be.

[si @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

sounds good mostly likly we in the uk wont see it till 2020

[uclatommy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Copying someone's fingerprint is fairly easy to do if you can find an item that they've recently touched.

[Andy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

It seems to me from what I have read that Pay By Touch is the company that is clearly moving the biometric payments industry forward

[Pat @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

While you may think copying someone's fingerprint is relatively easy (which it is not for the average person), would it be easy to use the copied fingerprint on a fingerprint reader in front of a store clerk without creating suspicion? Unlikely. With the recent acquisition of BioPay by Pay By Touch, biometrics are certainly the future in payments.