Amazon is planning to make its palm payment technology a familiar sight in every US Whole Foods store by the year’s end.
According to a recent blog post, the tech giant will be rolling out Amazon One to over 500 Whole Foods locations by the close of 2023. As of now, Amazon One is already available in approximately 200 Whole Foods stores, offering customers a convenient and contactless way to pay. Amazon One allows customers to pay by simply hovering their palms over the Amazon One device, eliminating the need for wallets or phones. Furthermore, customers who link their Amazon One account with their Prime details will receive discounts when using this payment method.
The technology itself operates by linking a user’s credit card or other payment information to their unique palm print. Aside from Whole Foods, Amazon has already implemented this technology at its Amazon Go convenience stores and has licensed it for use in other retail operations, such as Panera Bread and the concession stands at Coors Field in Denver.
Despite its convenience, Amazon’s palm-scanning technology has faced criticism from privacy advocates. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential misuse of biometric data collected by Amazon. However, Amazon assures that the usage of Amazon One is entirely optional and emphasizes that the data collected from users who opt in is securely handled.
In addition to its palm payment technology, Amazon has been involved in various data-collecting initiatives, spanning from healthcare ventures to partnerships with companies like iRobot, the makers of the Roomba vacuum. These initiatives have raised concerns over privacy, as reported by Insider.
On another note, Adidas is currently in a legal dispute with Kanye West, now known as Ye, over the mishandling of a substantial sum of money. Bloomberg reports that Adidas is seeking the return of $75 million that it claims Ye misused from a marketing fund, as stipulated in a contract between the rapper and the sportswear company.
The marketing fund was initially valued at $100 million annually, and Adidas asserts that $75 million was deposited into two Yeezy bank accounts. However, Ye and the associated companies allegedly misused the funds by failing to keep them separate and spending them on unauthorized purposes, as reported by Bloomberg.
The contract between Adidas and Yeezy explicitly states that the marketing fund should not be mixed with other funds, and any inappropriate use would require repayment to Adidas by Yeezy.
Ye revealed in a 2020 interview on Nick Cannon’s podcast that he had invested $50 million of the Yeezy marketing funds in his gospel choir tour, Sunday Service, which included expenses such as flights to Jamaica for 120 people. He stated that instead of using the funds for traditional advertising, he decided to invest them in the church. However, it remains unclear whether this money originated from Adidas.
Adidas previously attempted to freeze the eight-figure sum, but a US District Judge, Valerie Caproni, ruled against it in May. Nevertheless, Bloomberg reports that the court believes it is likely that the funds will be recovered through arbitration.
Due to the ongoing legal battle, many of the case documents are redacted or under seal. Recently, new details accidentally came to light when a reporter unintentionally entered the courtroom without the lawyers noticing, despite the judge’s prior warning, as reported by Bloomberg.
