Oh, the "selfie." It seems that there are two types of people in this world: those who love them and those who despise them. Regardless of how you feel, MasterCard will soon be allowing customers to pay online using nothing but... you guessed it, a selfie.
The news comes after a successful pilot in the Netherlands. Customers there have been testing payments by using biometric identification. The pilot wasn't all about selfies, as customers can use fingerprints, as well. The program allows cardholders to complete online purchases without ever typing in a PIN code, password, or confirmation number. The pilot was so successful that MasterCard plans to expand.
"The Dutch consumer is very progressive in embracing new technologies. Our country is the international leader in easy, safe and efficient payments," says Arjan Bol, Country Manager, MasterCard Netherlands. "We are now examining the possibilities to integrate our technology in the banking and tech giants' apps to make payment using a selfie or fingerprint even easier."
The program doesn't come without concerns, as most experts agree that multifactor authentication is a must.
"I think that biometrics can be stolen or they can be grabbed everywhere, if you're sleeping, I can grab your fingerprint, if you touch that glass, your laptop, your fingerprints are everywhere," Dr. Girish Chiruvolu, Director of Information Security and Risk Management at Thomson Reuters.
The concerns are valid, as hackers have already proven that a picture of a fingerprint can lead to a security breach. Could the 'selfie' system allow hackers to pull a picture from social media or a Google image search, and be in business? I don't know, but it certainly doesn't seem out of the question, given recent history.
Only time will tell how secure the platform is. MasterCard will be rolling out the program in the U.S., Canada, and parts of Europe this summer. So, if you notice a coworker snapping selfies at their desk; keep in mind it may not be in vain, but rather for a little retail therapy.