First Whole Foods; Next, the World? When will Amazon One Become a Frequent Method of Payment?

Amazon has introduced quite a few firsts into our society, pushing the  "modern-day" boundaries of the past to test how much technology we can actually integrate into our lives to make the world a better place – or, at least, more convenient.

We've seen package delivery drones, record-breaking shipping times (expected to reach a 30-minute delivery time in some places soon), smart assistant Alexa, clerk-less stores and so much more. Now, Amazon is pushing for Amazon One – introduced back in 2020 as a contactless method of payment that uses your unique palm print to process payments (no Interac or ApplePay needed) – to become a standard payment method in stores across the United States.

Amazon One goes even beyond contactless payments via Smartphone.

Amazon introduces dozens more Amazon One devices into Whole Foods stores across the country.

Amazon will implement their controversial One technology to 65 more Whole Foods locations across California in the coming weeks. These new locations will come hot on the heels of Whole Foods stores already using the tech in New York, Seattle and other major cities, Amazon Go stores and more retail brands planning to introduce the tech in the near future.

How does Amazon One actually work?

According to Amazon, the One devices require only a hand to work. Once you've signed up, Amazon will access your unique handprint and use it to identify who you are and complete services such as payments at your favorite stores or entry into venues. Each of our palms has a totally unique signature – even below the surface-level lines we see when we look down at our palms – that makes replication nearly impossible.

What are the security implications of Amazon One?

Signing up for Amazon One means providing Amazon with another means of identification beyond the credit card and personal information we already have saved on file. How many of us actually read all of the terms and conditions when registering for a new service? What could go wrong, right?

Biometrics is the science of using measurable biological traits to identify individuals, often for security purposes. Some of the most common biometric systems are fingerprint scanners, iris scanners and facial recognition software.

We're already using biometrics in other areas of our everyday lives, such as thumbprints to sign in to our phones – but some companies have sold and will sell this information to third parties. A single data breach of the Amazon cloud in which our biometrics would be stored could also be catastrophic, regardless of how much Amazon claims that its cloud is secure (their history of cloud breaches says otherwise). 

Amazon has already been embroiled in lawsuits regarding privacy and has provided biometrics information to the FBI when requested. Amazon also continues to partner with law enforcement regarding footage received via its Ring cameras.

It won't be easy to come back from this possible violation of our privacy – we can't simply change our palm print in the event of identity theft as we can with our credit card numbers.  Security technology will need to adapt quickly and efficiently to protect our information and prevent it from being leaked or stolen. But for now, taking the risk is entirely your choice

Ensure your company continues to keep up with evolving technology, because things are changing quickly! Reach out for a conversation with Perle Systems to discuss how we can help scale your business for continued growth regardless of the latest technological advancements. Let's chat.