Are you terrible at remembering passwords? Have you mastered the art of selfies? MasterCard’s new selfie-pay system may be just what you need.
The system, which authenticates online payments through a photograph of the user’s face, instead of a password, has come to Europe – but it’s not available in Ireland just yet.
MasterCard has rolled out the technology in the UK, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Norway.
Identity Check Mobile
The technology, formally known as Identity Check Mobile, requires users to blink to show that it’s not just a photograph being held up in front of the camera. It is intended to stop transactions being held up or declined due to being falsely flagged as fraudulent.
You create a digitised copy of your face through MasterCard’s mobile app, which is then stored on its servers. When you want to make a purchase online, you can use the selfie instead of a long password to verify your purchase.
The bad news is that there is no definite date for its release in Ireland. However, Mastercard has said it plans to expand the service’s reach further next year.
