Amazon launches trial of pay-by-palm device

Need to pay for some groceries? No problem, just wave your palm. That could be the new mode of payment at Amazon Go stores if current trials of its new technology in Seattle, Washington, are successful.

The technology, known as Amazon One, is a “free, contactless service that lets you use your palm to pay, enter or identify yourself,” according to its website.

The product, which is undergoing trials at two Go stores in Seattle, will allow customers to enter their credit card details and cell phone number and scan their palm or palms for distinct details such as “surface area, lines and ridges as well as subcutaneous features such as vein patterns” on a biometric device.

The individual palm details are then used to create a customer’s unique palm signature, and Amazon is counting on that to protect customer information.

The e-commerce company assures customers that the Amazon One device does not store information.

“We treat your palm signature just like other highly sensitive personal data and keep it safe using best-in-class technical and physical security controls,” according to the website.

Once sign-up is complete, customers can purchase goods and services with their palm prints by hovering over the payment device. It will also allow customers to use their palms as a form of ID, which allows them to enter Go stores without a code.

If customers change their minds about using the service, Amazon says it will completely delete their information.

“Amazon will permanently delete your palm signature from Amazon's systems after completion of any remaining transactions," the website says. "Your Amazon One ID will also be automatically deleted if you do not interact with an Amazon One device for two years.”

Amazon says it hopes to replicate the technology in all of its Go stores after its pilot use in Seattle and that it looks forward to other retailers signing up for the service.

Source: VOA