Pay for Your Online Shopping With a Selfie
We’re constantly looking for new ways to protect ourselves online. Whether that means taking a good, long look at the apps we download, what we’re posting to social media or especially how we’re online shopping. And because we don’t have any plans to stop shopping online any time soon, we’re always thrilled every time there’s a new innovation that will keep us safe as shoppers.
Now it looks like your selfie could soon be your best defense when online shopping. MasterCard just announced that it is unveiling a new feature called “selfie pay.” Users will have to download an app to their phone and take a pic of their faces. The app will register the face and digitize a copy. Then every time they want to make a purchase online, verification will push to their phone. The app will pop up and ask them to scan their face, and voila: The transaction is approved and verified. (If you aren’t looking your best, the app will also give the option to scan a fingerprint as verification.)
And don’t worry about hackers just holding up a pic of your face to approve a transaction. The app will request that users blink to verify that it is scanning a real human face. MasterCard says that the new feature will not only make online shopping faster, but more secure.
Selfie pay is rolling out across 12 European countries today and we can expect to see its worldwide release next year. Start finding your angles and your best selfie lighting.
What do you think of selfie pay? Let us know @BritandCo!
(h/t Engadget; photo via Getty)