Mastercard launches a controversial programme it claims will unleash a new era of biometric payments, that will allow shoppers to pay for goods at the checkout using gestures such as a smile or hand wave. Compared with credit or debit card payments, MasterCard believes the new system will increase security while speeding up payments because shoppers won't need riffle pockets and bags for payment cards. Instead, "Consumers can simply check the bill and smile into a camera or wave their hand over a reader to pay."
The scheme raises several security concerns, such as what would happen if the biometric data was compromised. It is not as if a smile or hand wave can be changed like traditional passwords.
What is this page?
You are reading a summary article on the Privacy Newsfeed, a free resource for DPOs and other professionals with privacy or data protection responsibilities helping them stay informed of industry news all in one place. The information here is a brief snippet relating to a single piece of original content or several articles about a common topic or thread. The main contributor is listed in the top left-hand corner, just beneath the article title.
The Privacy Newsfeed monitors over 300 global publications, of which more than 5,750 summary articles have been posted to the online archive dating back to the beginning of 2020. A weekly roundup is available by email every Friday.
