Pay by touch, is an option at all Charleston, South Carolina Piggly Wiggly grocery stores. Sadly, being a cashier there, I can comment a bit on it's use.
Basically, it connects your fingerprint (or an algorithm derived from your print, as I'm told) with either your checking account or credit card along with your PFC card (Pig's Favorite Customer- or insert discount card here depending on the store). The self swipe terminal has a scanner for your finger, which you use to pay. Along with your fingerprint, the system does use a pin, but it is just your local phone number without the area code. I suppose you could make up your own seven digit number to make it that much more secure.
Surprisingly, the people who sign up for this option the most have tended to be senior citizens who live in nursing homes nearby. They seem to like the option of not having to bring their wallets or purses with them. The younger crowd is much more suspicious of the system in general.
It is also, far from perfect. For one reason or another, although the older crowd appreciates it more, it tends to have more trouble with wrinkly hands. Even people that have signed up, sometimes are not identified by the scanner and end up paying the old fashioned way. It isn't any quicker than credit or debit card, and if the account is linked to a credit card then you still must sign the slip.
Overall, it's an interesting system, but it still has a number of kinks to work out. I'm sure there's room for abuse, but I don't think that severed fingers or fake fingerprints are a concern at the present time. I'm rather well educated in the fake identity field, and the biggest problem with this system is people breaking the readers because they think they have to mash their finger down on the damn readers and they crack the plastic. Every system has its flaws, but since it's much easier to deal with stealing credit cards than fingerprints, I would guess that the criminals will stick with what they know, at least for the time being.
Slashdot Mirror
Pay by touch, is an option at all Charleston, South Carolina Piggly Wiggly grocery stores. Sadly, being a cashier there, I can comment a bit on it's use.
Basically, it connects your fingerprint (or an algorithm derived from your print, as I'm told) with either your checking account or credit card along with your PFC card (Pig's Favorite Customer- or insert discount card here depending on the store). The self swipe terminal has a scanner for your finger, which you use to pay. Along with your fingerprint, the system does use a pin, but it is just your local phone number without the area code. I suppose you could make up your own seven digit number to make it that much more secure.
Surprisingly, the people who sign up for this option the most have tended to be senior citizens who live in nursing homes nearby. They seem to like the option of not having to bring their wallets or purses with them. The younger crowd is much more suspicious of the system in general.
It is also, far from perfect. For one reason or another, although the older crowd appreciates it more, it tends to have more trouble with wrinkly hands. Even people that have signed up, sometimes are not identified by the scanner and end up paying the old fashioned way. It isn't any quicker than credit or debit card, and if the account is linked to a credit card then you still must sign the slip.
Overall, it's an interesting system, but it still has a number of kinks to work out. I'm sure there's room for abuse, but I don't think that severed fingers or fake fingerprints are a concern at the present time. I'm rather well educated in the fake identity field, and the biggest problem with this system is people breaking the readers because they think they have to mash their finger down on the damn readers and they crack the plastic. Every system has its flaws, but since it's much easier to deal with stealing credit cards than fingerprints, I would guess that the criminals will stick with what they know, at least for the time being.