Forget making cards. Amazon wants to scan your palm to make sure you’re of age

Kid-faced twenty-somethings who are routinely asked to pull out their driver’s licenses when buying drinks may soon face a high-tech twist on an old right of passage: thrashing.

At least, if Amazon has its way. According to the company, they have just added age verification to their Amazon One palm bio-authentication platform. According to a blog post about the new capability, customers enrolled in Amazon One can use age verification by uploading a photo of the front and back of their government-issued ID, such as their driver’s license, and a selfie. Once signed up, customers will not have to show ID when purchasing beverages at participating outlets.

When in a store or drinking establishment, customers can wave their palm over an Amazon One device to indicate they are of age. A “21+” message and the selfie uploaded by the customer will appear on the screen. From there, the bartender confirms that the picture on their screen is the same as the customer’s picture and proceeds with the sale.

Bars and his customers can see the advantage of using Amazon’s tech-forward solution, especially if it can mean shorter lines. Bars can also save staff resources otherwise devoted to carding customers. That said, I’m not sure your local watering hole is ready to install palm scanners just yet.

While some may be too smart to put their personal data in the hands of big corporate tech, my guess is that digital natives who are okay with sharing information online are more likely to use bio-authentication methods like palm print authentication. You may like the convenience of Amazon also states that they do not store driver’s licenses in their systems, and IDs are verified by an ISO 27001-certified identity verification provider (ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security). That said, they still store a copy of your palm information, which may still be too much for some customers.

For those interested in getting the card through their palm, Amazon has set up an age verification-enabled Amazon One in Coors Field at Sandlot Brewery and Silver Bullet Bar.

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