In the past, individuals had to physically visit a store equipped with Amazon One devices to register for the service. But on March 28, Amazon announced that first-time users of Amazon One pay-by-palm services can now sign up for it from the comfort of their homes or even while working by submitting a photo of their hand to Amazon servers.
Amazon has guaranteed users its convenience while promising retailers benefits such as expedited queues and a smoother in-store experience. (Related: Amazon rolling out PAY-BY-PALM services as new payment tech at all Whole Foods Market stores.)
However, privacy experts argued that collecting the biometric data of its users would only allow Amazon to easily consolidate their personal information. This, in turn, could result in privacy breaches and even the misuse of sensitive data.
More people and stores are blindly turning to cashless payments because of "promised convenience"
In a video published on May 7, Reclaim the Net revealed that big corporations like JPMorgan Chase, Amazon, Microsoft and Google are actively promoting and normalizing the use of biometric data, particularly facial and palm recognition, in payment transactions.
These companies claim that biometric payment systems offer unparalleled convenience and efficiency compared to traditional payment methods. Moreover, they also claim these could help reduce fraud and improve financial security.
This advocacy has turned cashless payments into a growing trend, with more and more people using them in recent years.
For instance, in 2023, coffee shop chain Starbucks teamed up with Amazon to launch the Amazon One system in selected stores in Edmonds, Washington State. The pilot of the Amazon One system will serve as a bellwether to determine whether older people will embrace the new technology. In 2018, the coffee shop chain also opened a cashless pilot store in the lobby of a Seattle-based office building to "evaluate customer response and garner employee feedback."
Starbucks also tried Amazon Go, a checkout-free shopping experience, at concept stores in New York City for the same reason.
Still, privacy experts warn the public that biometric data is uniquely identifiable and immutable. Once captured, the data could be exploited beyond payment verification, such as by tracking individuals, identifying them in public spaces and profiling them for marketing purposes.
Head over to PrivacyWatch.news for more stories about the risks of biometric payment methods.
Watch this TikTok video discussing Amazon's pay-by-palm payment technology.
This video is from the DarylLawsonLive channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Starbucks teams up with Amazon to launch BIOMETRIC payment system in certain locations.
AI, palm scanners, facial recognition, augmented reality and more: The dystopian future is NOW.
Amazon illegally harvested kids' data via Alexa-powered 'smart' speakers.
More businesses now resorting to BIOMETRICS so that government nannies can literally track everything you do, see and buy.
JPMorgan Chase wants consumers to pay for goods and services with face scans rather than cash and cards.
Sources include:
TheEpochTimes.com
ReclaimtheNet.org 1
BusinessInsider.com
ReclaimtheNet.org 2
Brighteon.com
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