Amazon Files Patent for Pay-by-Selfie Idea as Alternative for Passwords
Unfortunately, the complications of life seem to be exacerbated by the advancements of technology in many surprising cases. We have to memorize countless passwords just to ensure our latest check was deposited so we can keep the power on in our house to power up our computer to check the latest news feed on Facebook and Twitter. In the quest to make things simple again, conversely through the use of technology, Amazon looks to give us a method of taking a selfie to serve as our login and password to purchase items on their site.
Amazon has filed a Patent for image analysis technology for user authentication. The details point towards the use of a selfie image to recognize persons for access to Amazon accounts and purchase.
Imagine this; you need to gain access to your online accounts, and you do not remember your password, but you have your cell phone or a web camera available to take a selfie so specialized software can recognize your face and grant you access to your account. It sounds like a very good idea doesn't it?
You're probably already thinking of the security loopholes that taking a selfie to access your personal accounts would pose. Well, supposedly, the biometric facial recognition that Amazon's to utilize will identify the user as a living human being and not a picture of someone's face that is being photographed. Essentially, taking the selfie would be a "human verification" process, possibly asking that you blink your eyes or perform a "live" gesture for the software to accurately recognize your face.
In the perfect world, Amazon's technology of taking a selfie to access accounts would do away with the need for passwords. Additionally, taking a selfie would be your gateway to purchase products over the Internet through the retail giant's site.
Every so often, many companies will require password updates or force you to enter strong passwords that must contain a plethora of different characters making it nearly impossible to easily remember your password. Amazon, in providing a selfie recognition method, would make life simple again.
"We may be advanced when it comes to technology, but we are still in the dark ages when it comes to security," said Jeff Kagan, an independent industry analyst. He also added in response to finding out about Amazon's selfie password Patent, "I have expected to see these kinds of new ideas over and over again over the last several years, but we have seen little or nothing."
The question arises out of Amazon's patent for selfie passwords; how long would it be before hackers crack open the secret sauce of how the selfie password system works? We tend to believe that it is only a matter of time before a "new idea for security," such as a selfie-derived password, is compromised by hackers. Though, we may not need to worry so much right now as such technology to take a selfie to purchase that new smartwatch on Amazon doesn't exist.