Divided Opinions Related Facial Recognition Payment
Data is the most valuable material of the modern era. Global tech giants thrive on collecting it and making a profit from it. So, the march towards facial recognition payments may seem unstoppable. However, the idea that our faces are being harvested and stored digitally is raising far more than a few eyebrows. Online facial recognition software is facing a lot of criticism but convenience still beats the other concerns. People are accepting it because of the ease and security that comes with it.
Pros of Facial Recognition Payment
When it comes to giving your facial prints, why would you worry when you have already given your thumbprints and fingerprints to various platforms to your phone, photograph album to Instagram, contacts book to Facebook and so on?
“It appears consumers are becoming more accepting when they are trading biometrics for convenience in the private sector in terms of faster and more secure payments,” says Gus Tomlinson, head of the strategy at GBG, a global leader in identity data intelligence.
The cashless payment and online transactions are becoming more convenient. Facial recognition payment plays a role in taking a transaction along the road of smart payments. With enormous advantages and a competitive edge in the market facial recognition payments are being adopted swiftly.
Biometric ATMs are being installed in various countries as well. Imagine going to an ATM and getting your cash withdrawn without entering any codes and just by looking at the camera? No PIN no nothing just by looking straight at it? Awestruck, it seems impossible, right? But it’s happening. Shortly one will not even need to insert his card in ATM to get his cash. Japan is soon to introduce ATMs with facial recognition. The benefits of facial verification payments are innumerable. Few are listed below:
Security:
A face verification solution provides an increased and efficient security check for online businesses. Biometrics are the unique features of an individual that can’t be stolen or compromised so such type of payment promises more security. Moreover, according to a report, almost one-third of consumers and business owners accept that this new technology will lead to more secure and safe payments.
Convenience:
Security and convenience come in handy by this mode of payment. You do not need to carry cards or remember any PIN just show your face and withdraw or transfer money. Isn’t it convenient enough?
Improved Customer Experience:
A secure and more convenient method for payment improves customer experience. According to the 2017 visa study, 70% of the respondents think biometrics are easier than passwords and 46% of them find biometrics more secure. Henceforth, facial recognition payments improve customer experience.
Cons of Facial Recognition Payments
There is a lot of excitement around facial recognition technology and its implications for the future of payments, and rightly so. But it’s important to temper enthusiasm with caution. It is vital, therefore, the industry concentrates on the most pertinent privacy concerns, so the risks to the consumer don’t exceed potential gains.
Though the benefits are innumerable, businesses should also know the risks that can arise by deploying a face recognition system. Appropriate steps should be taken to comply with the law. It’s also important to understand the potential for fraud. Customers might think that because their face is unique, they don’t have to worry as they would if relying on a password or PIN to authorize payments.
Last month, it was revealed that the biometrics data of more than a million people had been exposed from a database owned by the biometric security company Suprema. This included facial recognition collected by London’s Metropolitan Police. So biometrics is not immune to the difficulties faced when it comes to fraud.
A picture of the face can enable anyone to steal your identity. Until the security and reliability of biometrics can be proven it should only be an opt-in choice. We should not rush to implement biometrics, lets not run before we can walk.