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Paypal Rolls Out Photo Verification Trial In UK

Posted by samzenpus on from the your-real-money-is-no-good-here dept.

kdryer39 writes "Retailers in Richmond upon Thames are among the first to allow shoppers to leave their wallets at home and pay for items using just the PayPal app and their profile picture. The app for iOS, Windows OS and Android phones highlights nearby shops and restaurants that accept PayPal before the customer checks in by clicking on the required retailer and sliding an animated pin down on their screen. At present, only 12 merchants are using the system but it expects more than 2,000 locations will have the ability to use the app by the end of 2013."

37 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. wallet by Tom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    At present, only 12 merchants are using the system

    Which makes the "leave wallet at home" statement pure hyperbole.

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    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    1. Re:wallet by Dupple · · Score: 3, Funny

      It'll be interesting how this works out. Normally when I'm in Richmond, I'm off my face and can't find my wallet

      --
      Watch those corners
    2. Re:wallet by MrNemesis · · Score: 1

      Normally when I'm in Richmond, I'm off my face and can't find my wallet

      Richmond Upon Thames is where Paypal and eBay's UK head office are.

      Mod AC redundant, I think they're confused. Dupple is clearly the UK president of PayPal and eBay :)

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      Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
    3. Re:wallet by Dogers · · Score: 1

      VISA & co haven't even gotten the stupid contactless stuff everywhere yet - how on earth does PayPal expect to break in?

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      I am a viral sig. Please copy me and help me spread. Thank you.
  2. fuck paypal by ionix5891 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They close accounts without providing reasons nor being able to get in contact with a human

    this is not "news for nerds" this is a "this marketing message has been brought to you by the Paypal PR department"

    1. Re:fuck paypal by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's interesting because they need your profile picture on file. PayPal are getting all wet at the thought of having every customer's face in their database, to help them harass unfortunate victims of fraud. It gives them a legitimate reason to store that information, which would otherwise be illegal in most European countries.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:fuck paypal by Seumas · · Score: 1

      This is an interesting idea from the wrong company.

    3. Re:fuck paypal by MrNemesis · · Score: 1

      I was about to reply with a post about "...but here in the EU (unlike the US IIRC), PayPal *is* classified as a bank and therefore has to comply with much stricter legistlation than they appear to have to do in the US".

      But in looking for a citation I found these:
      http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?391236-Paypal-freezing-closing-accounts
      http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?235225-Paypal-claim-and-the-small-claims-court...
      http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2198081&page=1

      Glad to see my initial "PayPal are an utter shower of bastards" estimation all those years ago still seems to be true.

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      Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
    4. Re:fuck paypal by Tom · · Score: 2

      They are, however, BBB accredited and have an excellent rating:
      http://www.bbb.org/sanjose/business-reviews/payment-processing-service/paypal-in-san-jose-ca-210387

      Compare that to, say, Steam's mother Valve:
      https://www.bbb.org/western-washington/business-reviews/computer-software-publishers-and-developers/valve-corporation-in-bellevue-wa-27030704

      which gets a straight F for pretty much the same reasons you claim for PayPal. I'm not a friend of PayPal and would move elsewhere if that were a serious option, but they have worked well for me for about 8 years now. Maybe because I understand that they're not a bank and never have more than a few hundred bucks in my account.

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      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    5. Re:fuck paypal by augustw · · Score: 3, Informative

      PayPal requires a government issued photo ID for all but the most trivial uses.

      In the UK (where this trial is taking place) PayPal doesn't "require a government issued photo ID" for any purpose. It's not required by UK anti-money laundering legislation. And there is no "government issued photo ID" in the UK.. And no, we don't use our driving licences for this purpose. And no, we aren't required to carry our driving licences when we're driving.

    6. Re:fuck paypal by Inda · · Score: 1

      I don't even have a photo on my UK driving licence.

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      This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
    7. Re:fuck paypal by Presto+Vivace · · Score: 1

      As a professional flack, I have massive respect for the PayPal flack who got this on the front page of Slashdot, I would not even have tried. There is a reason for sites like PayPalSucks. Speaking only for myself, my personal experience with PayPal has been HORRIBLE. Currently, I use We Pay and thus far have not had any issues. Speaking ONLY for myself.

    8. Re:fuck paypal by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      I'm still pretty comfortable just using cash. Untraceable, easy, no ID required.

      Online, sure I pay with CC or even PP at times, but for meatspace transactions, I try to do cash as much as possible.

      If for nothing else, when I take out $200-$300 a week for pocket money, I have a better idea of how much I'm spending each week. It isn't abstract like CC's and online payments are....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    9. Re:fuck paypal by Zemran · · Score: 1

      Ditto

      I was once asked for my driving license at the check out in a Californian supermarket and the girl was really upset that it did not have a photo yet she did not want to see my passport which has a photo. She called the manager who looked at me (I am an old fart) and he just told her to get on with it. Weird country.

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      I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
    10. Re:fuck paypal by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      But at least they aren't subject to banking regulation! That has to count for something, right?

    11. Re:fuck paypal by manu0601 · · Score: 1

      It gives them a legitimate reason to store [the customer's face], which would otherwise be illegal in most European countries.

      It does not have to be illegal. As I understand the spirit of privacy laws that exist in EU, if (1) there is a legitimate reason, (2) user is made ware, and (3) you do not retain it after you do not need it anymore (the customer ceased to use the service), then it should be fine.

    12. Re:fuck paypal by Tom · · Score: 1

      your BattleMaster is one of such recipients, I'd prefer to not use PayPal for payments

      I offer direct bank transfers as an alternative, I just don't advertise it much because it is a ton more work for me and, quite frankly, people donating two or three Euros per bank transfer cost me more money in time and effort than I get.

      I would love for the banking industry to set up a PayPal-like system where you can transfer money to my bank account world-wide at low fees and I can plug in a backend to process your transfer in whatever way I need to. I would use it immediately.

      People who were ripped off -- it's their own fault?

      Didn't say that. If you go into the dirty part of town with a bulging wallet, it is still the robber who is the criminal - and still most people will agree that your risk management strategy was not exactly perfect. That doesn't make the robbery your fault - but it does make the quantity of the damage partially your fault, because a more reasonable approach would have reduced the damage.

      I feel for everyone who got their accounts locked, and I don't think it is ok. I alsol think it is stupid to leave tens of thousands of $ in a PayPal account.

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      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  3. Missing info by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Informative
    The information that actually goes with the headline, but was left out of TFS:

    The customer's name and photo then appears on the shop's payment system and the retailer charges them by clicking on their image.

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    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    1. Re:Missing info by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      So my twin brother can take all my money now?

  4. Extraneous middle man taking cut. by MrL0G1C · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So paypal get their % cut and then the card company get their % cut. No thanks, this makes goods more expensive.

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    Waterfox - a Firefox fork with legacy extension support, security updates and better privacy by default.
    1. Re:Extraneous middle man taking cut. by dimeglio · · Score: 1

      What are the alternatives for on-line commerce? Bank transfers don't seem too popular. Paying cash or by cheque is silly. Prepaid cards have fees. ?

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      Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the author.
    2. Re:Extraneous middle man taking cut. by MancunianMaskMan · · Score: 1

      Among the alternatives you list, one stands out as merely "unpopular" rather than having sound reasons against it.

    3. Re:Extraneous middle man taking cut. by PhillC · · Score: 1

      Why is paying cash silly? Maybe in Korea only old people use cash, but I generally find it far more convenient than making card payments. I usually withdraw a couple of hundred Pounds from an ATM, then use that money to buy most things under £100 until the cash runs out, then withdraw some more. This, to me, seems like quite a sensible way to operate, not silly at all.

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    4. Re:Extraneous middle man taking cut. by PhillC · · Score: 1

      Oh fuck, if I'd read your post thoroughly, I'd see you were talking about on-line commerce only. My point was with regards to using cash in bricks and mortar transactions.

      --
      Brought to you by the author of such childrens' classics as "Some Kittens can Fly!" and "All Dogs go to Hell."
    5. Re:Extraneous middle man taking cut. by MrL0G1C · · Score: 1

      The summary is about Paypal being used at high street retailers, so cash and debit/credit cards are suitable.

      --
      Waterfox - a Firefox fork with legacy extension support, security updates and better privacy by default.
  5. Re:i have an identical twin by Overzeetop · · Score: 2

    Sounds like free lunch on you're twin's dime.

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    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
  6. why is paypal legal ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    Other "banks" require government licenses and are heavily regulated. And I consider paypal a bank because it has control over the funds it keeps for its users, just like a bank.

    1. Re:why is paypal legal ? by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I agree. If it waddles like a bank and quacks like a bank then it's a bank.

      Unless it's a building society. Assuming they still exist...

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    2. Re:why is paypal legal ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Paypal is goverment regulated and is indeed a considered a bank by European goverments.

    3. Re:why is paypal legal ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Nationwide in the UK is a huge Building Society. Actually I think it is or was the worlds biggest.

      There are like 40-50+ of them in the UK last I checked Wikipedia. Yeah 45 now. 2008 killed a few. Damn 2008.

    4. Re:why is paypal legal ? by jonbryce · · Score: 1

      They are registered as an "electronic money issuer" in Luxembourg. A registration in one EU country is valid in all EU countries. It is not quite the same as a bank, the main difference is that there is no deposit insurance in the event that they go bust, however, unlike real banks, they are required to keep customers' money in a separate ring-fenced account.

    5. Re:why is paypal legal ? by CastrTroy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yeah, because it was PayPal, not the banks, that lead to a world-wide financial crisis. Although I understand what you're saying, I don't trust that government regulation will protect us from everything. Make sure you understand the agreements you are entering into with your banking institution. There are thousands of banks in the US. I highly doubt that all of them are that trustworthy or safe with your money.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  7. Re:Time to set my profile picture to a penis by JustOK · · Score: 5, Funny

    That would only be good for microtransactions

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    rewriting history since 2109
  8. Re:i have an identical twin by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    I'm surprised identity fraudsters don't create fake identical twins more often.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  9. profile pictures can be perfectly faked by WOOFYGOOFY · · Score: 1

    http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/videos/walter-white-interviews-bryan-cranston-on-fallon-20130803

    just sayin'.

  10. Square? by llamahunter · · Score: 1

    Isn't this exactly what Square has done for some time? Nothing new here... move along.

  11. Basis for projected growth? by Mr.+Freeman · · Score: 1

    This can be summed up by saying: a company has a product being used by an absurdly small number of people but expects it to grow immensely in a very short period of time.

    Well no kidding. Of course they expect it to grow rapidly, they're the ones selling it! Do they have any real evidence to suggest that this will actually happen? Of course not.

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