MasterCard is embracing the latest trends of the new generation, as it might introduce selfies as passwords of the future.
Think about it, the next time you have to pay a bill, you could use a simple MasterCard app on your phone and just tap in the amount you want to send, select the sender and then approve the transaction by taking a selfie. What could be simpler than that?
No more passwords, account identification numbers and most importantly no more things that you have to remember, because the new app will not require any of these. All you need to do is blink while you take your selfie and you’re done.
This blinking idea ensures that it is really you who is approving the transaction, and not just a photo of you, that anybody can hold in front of your phone.
The new generation of passwords also includes the fingerprint option, just in case you’re camera shy. You get to chose one of these easy payment authentication methods and you will complete your transaction in a matter of seconds.
These new features will be included in a trial version of the app, that will be available for 500 people, who are meant to identify the possible glitches that might have made their way into the development process.
In this trial period, MasterCard will also want to see the reaction that its customers will have to this new and improved version of the authentication process, but taking into account just how popular selfies have become among teenagers and adults alike, it sounds like a pretty foolproof plan.
“We have too many passwords to remember and this creates extra problems for consumers and businesses. The new generation, which is into selfies … I think they’ll find it cool. They’ll embrace it.” said MasterCard’s executive, Ajay Bhalla.
It remains to be seen how the trial version will be received by customers, but the people at MasterCard seem to be pretty confident that their plan will be the latest trend among millennials. It is a publicity stunt, that is pretty obvious, but the outcome has all the chances to work in their favor.
For the moment, there is a sizable concern about the safety of this method, as this new payment app will end up storing valuable information that you own and therefore, it generated quite a high risk for hacking. This is the main aspect that MasterCard will have to upgrade on this payment app, in order to provide a safe feature for its clients.
One thing is clear though, the classic passwords will not live on for much longer, as there are more and more innovative ideas that are aiming to replace it, mainly because people seem to be doing a very poor job of remembering it.
There has been talk of an emoji-based system that will offer a much wider range of options for a password than a pin number, because it will include four emojis out of hundreds of options, rather than a 4 number pin code that can only use numbers from 0 to 9. To be fair, the selfie password sounds much easier to use than any of the other options mentioned so far.
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