Amazon has recently partnered with Coors Field and the Colorado Rockies to begin a verification system that allows customers to verify their age when purchasing alcoholic beverages.
This biometric innovation, known as Amazon One, allows for a much more efficient and convenient method of purchase. The technology has already launched in grocery businesses like Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh, with Panera looking to join the mix, as well.
To verify your information, such as card details and personal identification, all you would need to do is swipe your palm over an active scanner. The information first needs to be entered and verified in an app and synced with a personal account. Once everything is verified and processed, it would only take one swipe of a hand to complete a sale for these partnered companies and venues.
On the surface, this innovative technology holds massive potential for restricted purchases and age-verification procedures. It can make tedious actions, such as entering a bar or ordering remotely, become swift and effortless. Many industries could be impacted by the addition of these scanners, and certain aspects of everyday life could become hassle-free.
Looking deeper, this tech isn't as well received as you would imagine. There are extreme privacy and personal safety concerns regarding what Amazon is attempting.
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Recently, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado, backed out of a plan to use the Amazon One product because of an open letter that stated it would make data vulnerable to ongoing government tracking and to abusive hackers. Amazon publicly addressed those concerns, claiming that personal information would not be stored once the user's identification is verified, and that the systems are highly secure.
Privacy and data security will be extremely important in Amazon's development and marketing of this product. Personal information should stay private. Ethical guidelines should be drafted carefully, ensuring the customer agreement to the sharing of this information is consensual, with both parties being aware of what's being done with the information.
The biggest issue with biometric information today is that it raises too many privacy concerns. It involves collecting specific data that can later be used to identify people. If these individuals' information is compromised or leaked, it dramatically increases the likelihood of fraud and identity theft. The concerns go beyond that, as some worry the biometric data can be used to track the movements and activities of individuals, as well as form biases and discriminate against certain groups of people.
If Amazon One can properly address these concerns, and can assure security, we could be looking at another example of how our world is becoming more automated and efficient every year.
