MasterCard might introduce selfies as an authentication method included in its payment system.
As social media gains more and more ground in our day to day lives, some of its most popular features also gain an entirely new status. Thus, the world-famous selfie has gotten more and more attention along the years and now, it has gotten to the point when MasterCard is planning to introduce it as an innovative authentication method for its clients.
The days of the traditional passwords and pin codes are clearly numbered, as more and more companies are trying to come up with ways to replace them with something that would prove more accessible to people and even more importantly, much easier to remember.
There has been talk of an emoji password system that could replace the numbers in pin code with a series of 4 emojis, so that it is much easier for people to remember their passwords. And despite the fact that emojis are clearly not associated with anything serious, it seems that this password system is actually an extremely valid option.
The fact that it can offer an exponentially higher number of password options makes it safer than the 4 digit pin code, since there are hundreds of emojis for a person to choose from, as opposed to the 10 numbers from 0 to 9.
While this emoji-based password system seems to be a good idea, it still implies that people need to remember a password in order to access their accounts. It only offers a much cuter password, and maybe even a safer one as well, but this does not change the fact that people might forget the series of emojis that they have created.
This is why MasterCard’s selfie-based authentication system is much better. If you only need to take a picture in order to access your account, there is nothing to remember. Furthermore, each person’s password becomes unique.
The system requires the person to blink wile the picture is being taken, so as to ensure that there is an actual person on the other side on the camera, and not a picture. However, this seems like a rather flimsy means of protection.
For the moment, the selfie system is still under construction and all of these glitches will be fixed before it is released to the entire MasterCard client base. The company has scheduled a trial for this new system which will only be available to 500 people, so that they may spot the irregularities that might come up.
MasterCard’s new authentication system will be included in a new and improved payment app that can be easily installed on the client’s phone, that is meant to simplify the payment process. The client will only need to select the exact amount of money that he wants sent, the proper recipient and then he will be able to authorize the transaction by blinking at his camera.
The new and improved MasterCard system also features the option for fingerprint authentication, for those who view selfies as infamously annoying. Thus, the MasterCard app will definitely be the payment method of the future, because it offers these high-tech and actually, almost Sci-Fi features.
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