Amazon files 'pay by selfie' facial recognition tech patent
- 8 years ago
SEATTLE — Online retailer Amazon is employing 'selfie' technology to help secure purchases.
The Seattle-based company has filed a patent application for technology that will soon allow customers to pay by taking a photo of themselves instead of keying in passwords.
"As people are utilizing computing devices for an increasing variety of tasks, there is a corresponding need to improve the security available for these tasks," Amazon's patient abstract explains. "While many conventional approaches rely on password entry for user authentication, these passwords can be stolen or discovered by other persons who can impersonate the user for any of a variety of tasks."
The company hopes the technology will simplify authentication for its users. When a customer is ready to make a purchase, the Amazon app will prompt the launch of mobile cameras and ask for a photo or video of the user completing a requested action. For instance, the app might ask a user to upload an image of him or her winking. It will then employ the special facial recognition technology to verify the user's identity.
The company's abstract does note one potential hiccup: "Such a process provides only a certain level of additional protection, however, as the facial recognition process can often be spoofed by holding a picture of the user in front of the camera, as the resulting two-dimensional image can look substantially the same whether taken of the user or a picture of the user."
But, applying for a patent is just the first step. It might take a while for the technology to be deployed.
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The Seattle-based company has filed a patent application for technology that will soon allow customers to pay by taking a photo of themselves instead of keying in passwords.
"As people are utilizing computing devices for an increasing variety of tasks, there is a corresponding need to improve the security available for these tasks," Amazon's patient abstract explains. "While many conventional approaches rely on password entry for user authentication, these passwords can be stolen or discovered by other persons who can impersonate the user for any of a variety of tasks."
The company hopes the technology will simplify authentication for its users. When a customer is ready to make a purchase, the Amazon app will prompt the launch of mobile cameras and ask for a photo or video of the user completing a requested action. For instance, the app might ask a user to upload an image of him or her winking. It will then employ the special facial recognition technology to verify the user's identity.
The company's abstract does note one potential hiccup: "Such a process provides only a certain level of additional protection, however, as the facial recognition process can often be spoofed by holding a picture of the user in front of the camera, as the resulting two-dimensional image can look substantially the same whether taken of the user or a picture of the user."
But, applying for a patent is just the first step. It might take a while for the technology to be deployed.
-------------------------------------------------------------
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Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
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