The patent outlines how an Amazon shopper would authorize a purchase using a photo of oneself instead of a password.
Selfie pay is designed to ease the process of verifying transactions as consumers make more purchases online and via mobile devices. It is also thought to be more secure that punching in a password or PIN.
As Amazon explains in the filing, facial recognition is more secure than entering passwords, which can be stolen. Entering long passwords, the company says, can also be cumbersome on mobile devices.
The patent suggest the technology could be used on a number of devices, including desktops, laptops, phones and tablets. There is also an image showing that the image verification would be completed separate from the place a user is purchasing from.
Amazon is not the first company to be experimenting with ‘pay by selfie’ technology. MasterCard began testing its facial recognition capabilities in 2015.
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