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Tencent, the Chinese giant behind WeChat, has started testing a payment system that works in the palm of your hand instead of requiring a credit or debit card.
Tencent, the Chinese giant behind WeChat, has started testing a payment system that works in the palm of your hand instead of requiring a credit or debit card. This is a biometric recognition technologysuch as face or fingerprint scanning, which can also be used to identify users.
The palm-based payment system is part of WeChat Pay, one of the most widely used payment services in China, but behind Alipay. The former has 800 million users, while the latter reaches 1.3 billion. Thus, according to MIT Technology Review, Tencent’s latest move aims to surpass its rival.
Let’s start to understand how this payment system works. Although no details were given, MIT is a member of the Chinese giant. infrared light technology It is a device that penetrates the superficial layers of the skin and can scan the features of the hand in detail. We are talking about the relief, lines and subcutaneous features of the limb.
As we can see, the new system seems to have some advantages over the old one in terms of security. It is not as exposed as palm, face or fingerprints associated with the system. As a result, it will be much more difficult to capture all the features of a person’s hand and then imitate their patterns.
So how do you scan your hands? Tencent is currently distributing payment terminals similar to credit and debit card readers It allows you to scan and process QR codes of customers paying with WeChat Pay. It is estimated that around 50 million stores and suppliers have these devices. A new version of this type of device has the necessary hardware to accept palm payments.
A series of pictures show what the new payment terminals are like. Let’s remember that the general rollout hasn’t started yet. These are small white-cased devices with a screen on the left side that shows operating instructions and purchase details. On the right are the sensors. You don’t need to support your hand, just zoom in for a few seconds.
As the system gets used to and nears its general availability, privacy questions begin to arise. for now It is unknown whether Tencent stores its customers’ biometric data on its servers.. However, it is not a leading company in such systems. Amazon has a similar system called Amazon One that stores the palm of its customers in the cloud. It currently only works at some Whole Foods stores in the United States.
Privacy experts and advocates of such systems disagree on the debate about the risks and benefits of paying or being recognized by biometric scanning. One of the main concerns, according to MIT, has to do with companies’ ability to protect users’ private data.
Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Surveillance Project (STOP), says users are advised to change their credit cards when a company experiences a security breach. On the other hand, if users’ biometric data is disclosed, “you can’t change the palm of your hand”. It remains to be seen whether this system will catch on.
Images: MIT Technology Review | Amazon
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Alice Smith is a seasoned journalist and writer for Div Bracket. She has a keen sense of what’s important and is always on top of the latest trends. Alice provides in-depth coverage of the most talked-about news stories, delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles that keep her readers informed and engaged.
