By silicon.com, 14 March 2006 10:00
Banks and credit card companies are being pulled in two directions.
On the one side they want faster, more convenient ways for customers to pay - but on the other they need to tighten security and crack down on fraud.
In a perfect world, both would be possible but the way things are going, it's obvious there's no comfortable balance between the two.
Take the Co-op's trial of biometric payments. It's a novel idea, whereby customers use their fingerprint to verify payment on their debit or credit card; one that brings James Bond technology to the checkout.
But so far biometrics have not yet been proved successful in the consumer space. In a closed environment, such as the military or even the top-secret world of the corporate office, they have a far higher chance of working well.
The risks elsewhere are that 007 finger-scanning equipment is only going to confuse the average shopper, who, unused to the new system, will hold up the checkout queue.
Chip and PIN takes long enough when you're waiting for someone to buy a 75p croissant but imagine the kafuffle with biometrics.
And even if finger-scanning does prove more convenient, people will undoubtedly worry about the security of this 'newfangled technology' since it's their money at stake.
We're not saying everyone should give up on biometric payment systems - but as with all new IT projects the user experience is key. Don't underestimate the power of the consumer to be confused by and suspicious of new technology.
Your average shopper may not be as swanky and as sophisticated as James Bond but the spending power of armies of them could still pack a lethal punch.
Comments
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1. Will
The use of fingerprints has been around for over 100 years, biometric fingerprint technology for well over 20 yet you still insist on refering to it as a new technology.
The International Labour Organisation are using biometric fingerprints for their International Mariners card, a Global intiative, they have been used for years in South Africa, the Philippines and elsewhere across the Globe.
As someone who has seen first hand the use of biometrics in several pilot trials I know what the public acceptability threshold is for new technologies and the only confusion being caused is by luddite publications like yours which choose to muddy the waters for overtly political reasons.