Popular Chinese platform WeChat has officially launched its contactless payment service, Palm Pay, just two days ago, according to sources. This new functionality enables users to make payments using their palm prints.
An Intriguing Payment Method
However, in order to utilize this service, users must link their personal account to the designated device and register their palm print. This means they need to locate a place within the app equipped with such a device, pair it, and then undergo an initial verification process.
While it may seem straightforward on paper, imagine the scenario of a store where thousands of people pass through daily, all wanting to register in quick succession.
But let’s get to the point. Once the process is completed, customers no longer need to carry debit cards, credit cards, smartwatches, phones, or wallets. They simply select their items, proceed to the cashier, place their palm on the scanning device, and make the payment.
Photo by Scmp.com
But what about security?
Tencent, the company behind the project, confirms that it is still a first swallow, so it will be available only in selected stores. The method is, in the words of the manufacturer, highly accurate, efficient and very reliable. Although this novelty has attracted huge attention from users, who at the same time did not hide their own enthusiasm, voices began to be heard on social networks that security could be a problem and not a small one.
In this context, Gizmochina reports that it is the palm mapping process, which is accompanied by a facial scan, that could be abused. Tencent, however, defends such a hypothesis, giving the assurance that everything is in accordance with the legislation and the records are carefully protected, and in case of user inactivity, they are deleted in a snap.
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