MasterCard may soon roll out a new feature on its smartphone app that lets users pay for online purchases by taking "selfies."
The financial services company is testing technology that allows customers to authorize transactions using photos of themselves instead of passwords, the company announced in a news release in August.
Some 200 employees of the First Tech Federal Credit Union are currently taking part in a two-month "selfie pay" pilot program, which runs through October, USA Today reports. Another trial is underway in the Netherlands.
Ajay Bhalla, president of MasterCard's security company Enterprise Solutions, has called the technology convenient and secure.
"Passwords are a pain," Bhalla said in a news release when the feature was announced. "They’re easy to forget, they waste our time and they’re not very safe. Biometrics are making online transactions as secure and simple as purchases in person."
If a purchase requires identity verification, customers can hold up their phone cameras, blink and let the app verify with a facial scan, according to USA Today. Blinking safeguards against thieves who might try to bypass security with a photo of the cardholder.
MasterCard is also working to implement voice recognition and even heartbeat recognition to verify a person’s identity, USA Today reports.
Visa is considering a feature similar to "selfie pay." The competing corporation has developed a blueprint to enable biometrics like fingerprints to verify on site transactions, according to USA Today.
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