Amazon's Enhanced Palm-Scanning Payment Technology Now Authenticates Ages
Amazon One, the innovative payment technology developed by Amazon, is introducing a new feature to enhance age verification.
In a recent announcement, the company revealed that customers using Amazon One devices can now effortlessly purchase alcoholic beverages, such as beers at sports events, by simply hovering their palm over the Amazon One device.
The initial venue to offer this service will be Coors Field, the home stadium of the Colorado Rockies MLB team. Amazon has ambitious plans to expand this functionality to more venues in the coming months, revolutionizing the way we verify age for alcohol purchases.
How Does Amazon Palm Scanning Work?
The concept of Amazon’s biometric payment technology, introduced back in 2020, revolves around generating a unique palm print for each customer. This palm print is then associated with a credit card that the customer inserts into the sign-up kiosk during the initial setup or with a card that has been previously configured online.
If the customer possesses an Amazon account, it is also linked to their Amazon One profile information. These palm print images are meticulously encrypted and stored securely in the AWS cloud within a restricted access area designed specifically for Amazon One, ensuring utmost privacy and security for the users.
To utilize the system, customers need to place their hand over a reader on the device, which then analyzes various aspects of their palm, including lines, ridges, and vein patterns, to establish their identity.
By seamlessly combining customer biometrics with payment card information and Amazon accounts, Amazon has created a powerful tool that has the potential to offer highly personalized advertisements, offers, and recommendations over time, should the company choose to do so.
However, it’s important to note that Amazon has made it clear that it does not utilize or sell customer information for advertising, marketing, or any other purposes, prioritizing user privacy.
Is Amazon Palm Scanning Secure?
Amazon argues that palm reading is a more private form of biometrics, as someone’s identity cannot be determined solely by examining their palm images. However, it is worth mentioning that Amazon is not merely storing palm images; it is building a comprehensive customer database that correlates palm images with other relevant information.
Initially limited to Amazon’s own retail locations, such as Amazon Go stores and Whole Foods, the Amazon One system has gradually expanded to encompass a wide range of sports stadiums, entertainment venues, convenience stores, and travel retailers.
Notable partners include Hudson and CREWS at various U.S. airports, as well as Panera Bread through a partnership announced earlier this year, establishing Amazon One as a versatile and widely accessible payment solution.
To enable age verification, customers have the option to update their ID on the Amazon One website. The process involves visiting one.amazon.com and uploading photos of both the front and back of their government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license.
Additionally, customers are required to take a selfie to further verify their identity. Amazon emphasizes that it does not retain these IDs after verification, which is conducted by an ISO 27001-certified identity verification provider, although the specific provider remains undisclosed. ISO 27001 certification represents an international security standard, ensuring a robust verification process.
Benefits of Amazon Palm Scanning?
This technology can be used to verify customer’s age at a bar. Once a customer’s age is confirmed, they can conveniently purchase alcoholic beverages using Amazon One without the need to retrieve their ID from their pocket.
By simply presenting their palm for scanning to prove their identity, customers can swiftly pay for their drinks.
When verification is successful, the bartender will be greeted with a “21+” message displayed on the screen, along with the customer’s selfie, enabling a visual comparison with the person placing the order.
To complete the payment, the customer can once again scan their palm, ensuring a seamless and efficient transaction process.
Retailers stand to benefit significantly from this cutting-edge technology, as it has the potential to expedite transactions, leading to increased sales and revenue.