MasterCard might make identity theft a little bit harder — they're working toward introducing face scanning software that will determine approval of your purchases.
The financial services company is planning to launch a test program this fall with a starter group of 500 MasterCard customers this fall.
The app is designed with dead accuracy, most pointedly identity verification online, where face-to-face interaction is virtually impossible. Users will be able to download an app onto their smartphones and pick between utilizing either facial recognition software or fingerprint recognition software.
Once selected (for the sake of this article, let's say that it's the face scanner), the user verifies their purchase with one quick tap and the smartphone takes a picture of the user to approve the amount spent.
If MasterCard's facial recognition program takes off, it would render PIN numbers and passwords obsolete. Most importantly, face-scanning software would significantly cut down on identify theft — because, you know, it's a lot easier to track down a Social Security number than to clone someone's face.
Watch the video below to see the face scanner in action.
Photo: Håkan Dahlström | Flickr
