MasterCard’s First Credit Card Using Biometric Security


BiometricMasterCardContactless payments, the waving of your credit or debit card over a terminal to make a payment, may sound super convenient and quick, but they're more than that. They're dangerous. You're completely taking security out of the transaction by not having to authenticate it by pin number. Companies have been attempting new ways to simplify payments while keeping security. Examples include Google Wallet, where you use your smartphone to pay for items at MasterCard PayPass terminals; and Apple Pay, which lets you use the iPhone 6 to pay in stores and within apps. To avoid the risk of anyone stealing and using your card, MasterCard is partnering with Zwipe to release a biometric bank card with a built-in fingerprint sensor.

BiometricMasterCard1Rather than other contactless cards maintaining user information in a database or cloud, all the card's data is stored on the card. The only way to steal it, is to steal it, and even then, you're not going to get very far unless you have the owner's finger. Thanks to biometric tech partner Zwipe, this works by reading the owner's fingerprint via scanner. The technique does away with needing a PIN, and is an even better way to authenticate a purchase because thumbprints can't be stolen like PINs.

BiometricMasterCard2According to Gizmodo, it really is that easy- “If the pre-approved thumbprint stored on the card isn't detected, the contactless or chip-enabled purchase wont be processed”. Despite what you may picture, the card isn't chunkier than a normal credit or debit card, the dimensions are the same, there's just some extra technology in there. To start with, we may only see the Zwipe MasterCard in the UK. When we should expect to see this first of its kind system in the U.S. is unknown. If and when this becomes popular, it's almost certain that other credit card companies, such as American Express, Visa, and Discover, will quickly hop on board.

Topics: Technology News Inventions & Innovations Storage & Cloud

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