Tencent, the Chinese giant behind WeChat, has started testing a payment system that, instead of requiring a credit or debit card, works with the palm of your hand. It is a biometric recognition technologysuch as facial or fingerprint scanning, which can also be used to identify the identity of users.
The palm-based payment system is part of WeChat Pay, one of China’s most widely used payment services, but behind Alipay. While the former has 800 million users, the latter reaches 1.3 billion. A) Yes, according to MIT Technology ReviewTencent’s latest move aims to outperform its rival.
New payment system, new privacy risks
Let’s start to understand how this payment system works. Although no details have been provided, MIT points out that the Chinese giant could use a infrared light technology that penetrates the superficial layers of the skin and is capable of scanning the features of the hand in detail. We are talking about the relief, lines and subcutaneous features of the limb.
As we can see, from a security point of view, the new system seems to have some advantages over older ones. The palm of the hand associated with the system is not as exposed as the face or fingerprints. Consequently, it would be much more difficult to capture the full features of a person’s hand and then fake their patterns.
So how do you get your hands scanned? Tencent currently distributes payment terminals similar to credit and debit card readers that allow you to scan and process the QR codes of customers paying with WeChat Pay. It is estimated that some 50 million stores and suppliers have these devices. A new version of this type of device has the necessary hardware to accept payments with the palms of the hands.
A series of images show how the new payment terminals are. Let’s remember that the general rollout has not started yet. These are small devices with a white casing that have a screen on the left side that shows the instructions for use and the details of the purchase. On the right side are the sensors. It is not necessary to support your hand, you just have to bring it closer for a few seconds.
As the system begins to catch on and its general rollout approaches, privacy-related questions begin to arise. for now It is unknown if Tencent stores customers’ biometric data on its servers.. However, this is not a pioneer company in this type of system. Amazon has a similar system called Amazon One and stores the palm of its customers’ hands in the cloud. At the moment it works only in some Whole Foods stores in the United States.
Privacy experts and defenders of this type of system do not agree on the debate about the risks and benefits of paying or being identified with biometric scanning. One of the main concerns, according to MIT, has to do with the ability of companies to protect users’ private data.
Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) says that when a company suffers a security breach users are advised to change their credit card. On the other hand, if the biometric data of the users is exposed “you can’t change the palm of your hand”. Whether this system will catch on remains to be seen.
Images: MIT Technology Review | Amazon
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