MasterCard reports that it plans to bring selfie photos as security checks in more than twelve countries.
The company began testing facial recognition technology to verify a user's identity last year, and after a year of testing, it says it plans to roll out this feature to users, especially after the positive reactions it received from testers.
To use a selfie as security to make a payment, MasterCard customers will need to download the company's app to their phone or tablet. Then, to make an online payment, they will need to enter their credit card information and then hold their device up to their face to take a quick selfie.
Users must open and close their eyes to prove they are not simply holding a photo in front of the camera, and according to MasterCard's statements there are algorithms in its software that can tell it if someone is trying to fool the system using a video.
The company adds that the facial recognition system should only be used in certain cases, when further identity verification is required.
Ajay Bhalla, MasterCard's president of enterprise security solutions, says the company is looking at other security measures beyond fingerprint and facial recognition sensors. One alternative, she says, could be to recognize a person's heartbeat using a sensor that reads a person's electrocardiogram.
MasterCard conducted its first tests with heart‑beat recognition at the end of last year using the Nymi Band. It states that it received very positive reactions from these tests that took place in Canada and the Netherlands. Bhalla adds that, while fingerprints or facial recognition via selfies require user‑provided data, heart‑beat recognition can be performed seamlessly in the background. You can wear just a bracelet that will send a signal to the company's device to prove that you are the same person.
