After limited roll-out of its “Amazon One” palm-scanning payment technology, the Seattle-based, e-commerce giant is launching the first major expansion of its contactless payment system.
More than 65 Amazon-owned Whole Foods grocery stores across California will receive the biometric identification system, starting with locations in Malibu and Santa Monica in the greater Los Angeles area, reports TechCrunch. Additional outlets of Austin-based Whole Foods will offer the service in coming weeks at stores in Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay area.
The company says its Amazon One system is designed for security and faster checkouts. Customers scan their palm, enter their mobile number and provide a credit card and/or a merchant membership number. An encrypted image of their palm is sent to Amazon’s server for matching and from then onward only requires a wave one’s hand to complete a payment.
In the light of Amazon reportedly selling its biometric facial recognition services to law enforcement agencies and storing voice data gathered by Alexa, privacy issues surrounding the palm-scanning technology has raised the concern of three U.S. Senators — Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. — who wrote a letter to Google over its personal data collection efforts.
On its website, Amazon makes reference to privacy concerns, but suggests that decision ultimately lies in the hand of the consumer: “Each time you use Amazon One, you’ll need to intentionally scan your palm for it to work — you get to decide exactly when and where to be recognized.”