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Upcoming Biometric System in Helsinki: Pay with Your Face

By Rain Noe - July 22, 2013

in Tech

Driver's license, credit cards, keys. These are objects all of us carry, yet ironically they are all unique, personalized to us. They all link to our identity. You enter your apartment via a mechanism that prevents others from entering when you're not there. You are allowed to walk out of a supermarket laden with food because a card reader subtracted the value from your bank account. You are allowed through the security checkpoint because your license proves that that is your airplane ticket. But if a Finland-based company called Uniqul has their way, these identity-proving intermediaries could become obsolete.

Uniqul's facial recognition technology is apparently good enough—and safe enough, employing "military grade algorithms"—that their system would enable you to conduct transactions with nothing more than your face. We've all lost or forgotten wallets and keys, but it's tough to leave your grill on the dresser or have it removed from your person (outside of a John Woo movie, anyway). Here's how they envision it working:

You've probably heard American actors or models—people who earn their living by having pretty mugs—jokingly and slangily referring to their face as "the cash register." Perhaps that phrase will make its way into Finnish, as Uniqul will shortly be deploying the system in Helsinki.

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Jatinder Singh

11 years ago

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Sounds absolutely fantastic. I am sure there are hurdles that needs to be sorted out such as Twins, wearning glasses, facial hairs, etc. But I am sure the technology doesn't simply compare your picture to a picture in the database, it has to have multiple comparison points such as shape of the face, width of jaw bones, location and color of eyes, shape of the eyes, etc. It is just another matching algorithm that will match on a bunch of different aspects. The amount of freedom this can offer would be phenomenal.
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Em. C.

11 years ago

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What about people who have facial reconstruction surgeries? To that effect, what about those from the trans community? Can it detect someone during or after HRT?
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Cee Kay

11 years ago

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I have a twin sister - identical. How would that work?
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hoh

11 years ago

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The technology may have already been good enough, but I don't think any bank would be brave enough to try it.

Also, whilst merging Credit Card, driving licence, access pass, room key etc. is a great idea, there are simply too much cooperate barrier for that to become a reality. Though if someone did success in it, they certainly make good money.
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Josh

11 years ago

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Yeah this is creepy. Do we call this progress? Where are our flying cars already?!?!
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SFPaul

11 years ago

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If only the voiceover would have done in a Big Brother type I would have submitted.
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Matthew Carson

11 years ago

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Um... no. I don't trust good enough with my bank account. What's a meaningful nod? Can someone use a picture or video to fool this?
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