SCI/TECH: Biometric Shopping Technology Coming To A Store Near You

In a deal reached today between Pay By Touch, a biometrics payment company, and Cognet Systems, an automated fingerprint identification systems provider, is promising to make biometric shopping a service that you could find at many of the stores you visit in the near future. The two companies announced a deal to make the process of biometric payment cheaper and easier for merchants to provide. For those who are not so tech-savy, biometric shopping is a technology where all of your credit card, checking account and store loyalty info is linked to a consumers fingerprint. Uses for this technology are far reaching, by simply scanning your finger you could pay for products and services, cash checks, view previous purchases, and verify your identity, all without opening your purse or wallet. This technology when combined with RFID (radio transmiters placed in product packaging) could provide a time pressed consumer with the ultimate in "speedy checkout". Proponents of this technology point to the possibilities of faster, consumer friendly, secure payment processing, however this technology is not without controversy. The potential abuses of this technology has been a hot topic on internet conspiracy related web sites and among privacy groups.



New technologies like Biometrics and RFID (radio frequency identification) are a reality today and the use of these technologies is fast becoming a part of everyday life. These inventions and thier uses promise major improvements in security and convienence for the consumer, while keeping costs down and efficiency up for the retailer. There is a down side side to this technology however. Potentiel abuses of biometrics and RFID are frightening to many. The possibility that a store can keep track of every purchase you make, not to mention when and where it was made provides for alot of information that could be used improperly by marketing companies and government agencies. A real and honest discussion is needed between corporations, individuals, and governments to decide what is the proper use of such technologies.

Related News Links:
www.paybytouch.com
www.biteproject.org
en.wikipedia.org
rds.yahoo.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Pay Bills with your Fingerprint
politics.abovetopsecret.com...
://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread120859/pg1

So ahhhhhh...........

Ready to take that chip now?????
Ahhhh, the great thoughts of the chip that allowed you to buy and sell are soon apon us... what do you think people.... good to see some old book got some kick dont it...

And no I am not christain, so this isnt religiously motivated.

[edit on 5/13/2005 by ThichHeaded]

The technology is promising. But does it promise good or evil. The scary thing is it promises both. Where this could lead is the frightning or fascinating part, depending on your view point.

Ok, so this might sound silly, but what about people who had an injury and lost their arm, they wouldn't be able to give a fingerprint.... if Pay By Touch works out, this might be an issue though. What do you guys think?

any body see 24 where he got his finger cut ff for his RIDF chip

Scanning a fingerprint for ID verification prior to an action does not equate with "chip implant". Where I work we use fingerprint reading devices to allow for access to and from various areas in the facility, and interestingly, no chip in my body anywhere.

I think it would be very cool to be able to press my finger down at a busy store, and go, knowing that it is a paid for transaction. That is, basically, called progress.

Addendum:

My wife, who is far more of an expert on this than I, tells me that the technology is still not 100% and I am, therefore, full of crap!

[edit on 14-5-2005 by sigung86]

At first I thought this might be the same company that designed this

The whole model is driven by advertisers' need to get in front of consumers," said Alexandor. "They're not watching 30-second TV ads anymore

But I see I was wrong. Yet it shows more and more technology is on its way into our local super markets.

The thing I do not like is they are going to charge to sign up to use the service

[edit on 5/14/2005 by shots]

Originally posted by shots
The thing I do not like is they are going to charge to sign up to use the service

Actually the Pay By Touch system is free for the consumer, the stores will pay for the terminals (lease or buy) and access to the service, just like they do with credit card terminals and service now.

It works like the RFID chips in those little keychain things at Mobile/Exxon gas stations. Maybe you could scan your finger at the pump soon.