MasterCard is testing a new technology that will allow you to confirm payments using a face shot instead of the usual password.

This innovation has become one of the latest in a series of developments dedicated to electronic payments. For example, Apple Pay offers users to verify their identity with a fingerprint. And the USA, after Europe, is switching to chip cards, which are recognized as more secure than cards with a magnetic strip. From October 1, American retailers are obliged to equip points of sale with chip-reading devices, otherwise they will have to bear responsibility for fraudulent transactions committed with their payer cards.

More than 200 employees of the US Federal Credit Union took part in a two-month pilot project in which they confirmed their identity either using fingerprints or using a selfie on a smartphone. A similar project took place in the Netherlands.

To make selfie payments through MasterCard, the client must download the Identity Check application. Further, when making a purchase, they will receive a push notification on their mobile device that opens the application. All that remains to be done is to point the front camera at the face and blink . Time! And the payment is completed. This is an interesting, friendly and easy user experience.

When a person blinks while making a payment using this technology, this prevents the possibility of fraudulent transactions. Face recognition converts traits into a code consisting of zeros and ones, and then it is he who is processed, and not the image itself. MasterCard assumes that face recognition will significantly increase the security of payments. According to Aite consulting agency, 45% of fraudulent transactions with payment cards occur in the process of online payments, and not directly with plastic. Paying with a selfie does not require a password or pin code.

Such innovations should be spread, as well as go a long way before becoming one of the safest tools protecting payer information. According to Matt Schulz, chief analyst at CreditCards.com, biometric data will be the future of credit card security:

MasterCard is not the only card company working on new payment methods. Visa has developed a fingerprint, face, palm and other biometric data recognition program that can be used in a variety of industries to confirm transactions. In addition to these methods, MasterCard is also looking for the possibility of making payments using voice recognition or even the heartbeat of a person that could confirm his identity.

How does this technology work?

1. The user downloads the Identity Check application.
   
2. After installing the application, he goes shopping.
   
3. When it comes time to pay, he receives a push notification (pop-up reminder) on the phone that launches the application.
   
4. Pointing the front camera at the face (as during a selfie), the buyer blinks.
   
5. The recognized photo is compared with the image of a person pre-loaded during registration in the application in the form of a code, while the images themselves are not saved anywhere.
   

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