MasterCard is testing a new way for you to pay with your face
MasterCard announced on Thursday that it's looking to add a layer of biometric security to its credit cards and all user will need to do is simply take a selfie. The system will create a digitized map of your face, convert that map into a hash and compare it to the hash stored on Mastercard's servers. Users will be able to pay through a mobile app with either their fingerprints or by staring into the device and blinking once. The blink is used to prevent someone from just holding up a picture of you to spoof the system. What's more, "They're storing an algorithm, not a picture of you," Phillip Dunkelberger, who runs Nok Nok Labs, told CNN Money. "And I'm sure they're doing the appropriate stuff to guard it."
The company reportedly already has deals in place with Google, Apple, Blackberry and Microsoft, with hopes to begin a limited 500-person pilot program later this fall. Once they work out all the kinks with the new system, it could be available to the public as early as next year.
[Image Credit: Marce Martinez/AP Images]