How often have you experienced the buzz-kill of arduously filling out your details after an online purchase? How many hours in total have you spent punching in your 4-digit PIN to your phone or ATM? Have you ever lost your wallet after a massive night on the punch, or questioned the security of the new tap-to-pay systems?
Soon, there’ll be a solution to these issues as well as many more; and if you’re reading this with clenched fists, it’s already in the palm of your hand.
The future of security, payment and convenience is in fingerprint recognition technology.
Imagine walking up to the counter of a store, and instead of relying solely on the insecure pay-pass in your bank card to buy your third tub of Ben and Jerry’s this week, you instead tap your phone to the counter, then scan your fingerprint on your phone to confirm the purchase. This reduces the size of your wallet and increases your bank security, all whilst using the phone you were already clutching to text your BFF with anyway.
Imagine reserving your seat to the latest Nic Cage movie by selecting a session time in an app, then tapping your fingertip on your phone. On the way to the flicks, you fill up on fuel and pay at the bowser in the same way. You then strut into the cinema, get yourself scanned at the ticket machine, and within a heartbeat and a half you have your tickets for you and your sweetheart to see National Treasure 3.
Imagine an awesome deal on a shirt from your fave online store that you’re not able to pass up. You tap the deal, scan your finger to your device and hit confirm. In that 1.08 seconds, you just gave the store your size, your credit card details, your shipping address, your name and your contact details. It ships straight to your door without another thought.
This technology is already beginning to see adoption in the smartphone market. The newly announced Pantech Vega will come with a fingerprint reader in the phone. The Motorola Atrix 4G had this technology, which primarily enabled the user to unlock their phone with their fingerprint, which was actually faster than typing in the four-digit PIN. This was discontinued in later models, as Apple bought out the company responsible for the scanner system. There are now compelling rumours that the next iteration of the iPhone will come equipped with fingerprint readers in-built. If this comes to fruition, the entire smartphone market could be revolutionised yet again.
Now let me address the two most popular concerns with fingerprint recognition. Firstly, many people raise the argument that fingerprints aren’t 100% unique. I’ve come across statistics on the uniqueness of fingerprints ranging from 1 in 64 billion to 1 in several trillion. Assuming that every 1 in 64 billion fingerprints are the same, our chances are already beyond the population of the planet. To further this, the fingerprint required is unique to only your device - not the database, which skyrockets the odds of fingerprint forgery. As the technology improves, it will only get harder than it already is to be falsely matched.
The second most common argument placed against the method is the feared rise in dismemberment crimes. There is concern that jerks will resort into dissecting fingers to enable themselves access to the victim’s personal data. Modern scanners are actually very capable of telling the difference between a live and a dead finger, so a severed pointer would render useless to a thief if the blood flow and heat were removed from it.
Advertising, retailer and consumer behaviours are set to change yet again with the inevitable mass adoption of fingerprint readers into upcoming technologies. Impulse buyers beware, the future looks very secure and very convenient.
Josh Mills
Digital Executive
UM
THE ADNEWS NGEN BLOG: The future at your fingertips
19 August 2013