PURCHASE, N.Y.–MasterCard will begin testing a new form of authentication in the autumn: the selfie.
It is also testing voice recognition and human heartbeats as means of improving security.
The fraud-fighting initiatives come in the wake of consumer behavior with Apple’s iPhone that shows consumers will use biometrics for payments (the fingerprint with an iPhone). Now MasterCard plans to test facial scans.
According to MasterCard, the initial test will be small and involve just 500 cardholders. Broader rollout will then follow, although no timetable was released.
MasterCard said it has partnered with all of the smartphone makers, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and even Blackberry, and it is also finalizing deals with two major banks, the names of which it did not reveal.
The effort will require consumers to download the MasterCard phone app. A pop-up will ask the consumer for authorization after something has been purchased. If a fingerprint is chosen, the consumer simply touches the device. If facial recognition is chosen, the consumer stares at the phone and blinks once (to prove it’s a live video).
Like Apple Pay, MasterCard said it will not actually get a picture of the finger or the face. All fingerprint scans will create a code that stays on the device. The facial recognition scan will map out the face.
MasterCard said it is also testing a voice recognition system and working with a Canadian firm, Nymi, to develop technology that will approve transactions by recognizing a person’s unique heartbeat.