MasterCard is testing a new facial recognition security app that allow users to make online payments by snapping selfies instead of typing a password. MasterCard’s reasoning? It is easier to remember than a password.
The firm’s security expert, Ajay Bhalla, told CNN that the new generation is “into selfies” and thinks “they’ll find it cool.” “They’ll embrace it,” Bhalla said.
This is also MasterCard’s new way of cutting down on fraud. Currently, the credit card company has a self-selected password called a “SecureCode” as a final stop in online shopping, according to Quartz. This is used to stop hackers from using stolen credit card information.
The selfie security technology would stand in the place of the SecureCode. Users would look into their cameras and blink–to prove they are actual human and not a photo–to confirm their identity.
MasterCard’s new app will convert the face scan into numbers that are sent to MasterCard via the internet. That way, MasterCard will receive a digital translation of the photo instead of the actual selfie.
The company is set to do a trial run on 500 customers, which will also include fingerprint security and voice recognition, BBC reports. MasterCard told CNN that they have partnered with the big smartphone providers such as Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Blackberry. However, they have yet to close deals with two major banks and they have yet to announce who will be the first customers to test the app.
MasterCard is not the first financial firm to use facial recognition technology. Currently, members of USAA–financial services firm for military and their family members–use facial recognition to login.
Though it may be working for some, not everyone is excited about the idea. Researcher Ken Munro, who works with Pen Test Partners, is concerned about the level of security is will provide.
Munro told BBC that Google attempted facial recognition on Android phones, and there were several problems early. He said that people were able to take a photo of someone, “present it to the camera, and the phone would unlock.”
Munro says that more layers of security will need to be added in order for the technology to work. “If an ordinary password gets compromised you can simply revoke it or change it. What happens if your facial recognition data gets stolen? You can’t change your face,” Munro said.
