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Your Fingerprint Buys Groceries in Seattle

lildogie writes: "The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that a Thriftway grocery store is installing fingerprint scanners that they will use to identify customers." Each customer's payment method (credit, debit) is then automatically applied at checkout. Haven't they seen Charlie's Angels?

5 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Low tech implementation by _ph1ux_ · · Score: 3, Informative
  2. Re:Fingerprint == Money by VAXman · · Score: 3, Informative

    Interesting concept. Since it's difficult to forge fingerprints, it may be a viable idea. Still, someone other than you could use their fingerprint tied to your money, which isn't a good idea.

    That should require the same amount of difficulty as getting a credit card in somebody else's name. So, in that sense (setting up the account), this fingerprint system has no advantage or disadantage over a credit/debit card.

    However, it has a huge advantage in accuracy of authenticating the owner of the account. I will submit that it is far more difficult to forge a fingerprint than it is to forge a signature (usually the only authentication system used to validate a credit card purchase).

  3. How did they get it accurate enough? by TheLink · · Score: 3, Informative

    As far as I know the crossover accuracy ratio for finger print biometric techniques is low.

    The few systems I've encountered, fingerprints are not used to uniquely identify people, just as a verification - people still need to swipe a card or enter a pin, then the fingerprint is used for verification.

    Do they have a new technique? There's nothing on the Indivos or Bioscrypt websites stating the crossover rates etc.

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  4. Re:Haven't they seen The Sixth Day? by anonymous+cupboard · · Score: 2, Informative

    Wouldn't work - the finger usually needs to be attached. It is some kind of capacitance/heat thing.

  5. Re:Identity verification at registration by psamuels · · Score: 2, Informative
    (And on a more annoyingly pedantic note: "PIN number" is a tautology.)

    Uh, what? "Personal identification number number" is a self-evident logical statement? Perhaps you mean redundancy, like "Based on NT Technology" or "hot water heater".

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