Payments giant MasterCard has said it plans to accept selfies and fingerprints as an alternative to passwords and codes to accept online payments.
To use selfie authentication, customers will need to download a Mastercard app that allows them to take a photo each time they make an online purchase. Their face will be scanned to prove they are making a purchase and the scan will verify it’s a legitimate selfie by requiring users to blink when they take their own photo.
Fingerprint authentication can be used on new smartphones, including the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S.
The technology will be rolled out by big banks in the US, Canada, UK and Europe over the next few months and it is expected to be used regularly across the world within five years.
Mastercard said it is also working on other authentication methods such as monitoring a customer’s heartbeat, iris scans and voice recognition.
Agencies/Canadajournal