In a recent article, “In The Internet of Things YOU Will Be The Key,” I outlined the many ways that the human body will become the next-generation identification system. The move to give everyone a global unique ID that can be verified across all human activity has been in the works for some time and the applications are pervasive.
The fear of identity theft and cyber-banking crime has been the latest sales pitch to encourage accepting identity tech such as vein scanners , facial recognition, voiceprints , iris scans – even tears – as well as their attendant databases. There is an ongoing cooperative effort between global banks and corporations to ensure that there will be standardized, centralized entry into the consumer/Internet/banking matrix of the future.
Another data point to note in the evolution of biometric ID is that Mastercard is now partnering with a Norwegian company called Zwipe to introduce the first fully biometric credit card, which will dispense with a PIN and instead use a fingerprint sensor for verification.
Last month, he (Ajay Bhalla, president of enterprise safety and security at Mastercard - Ed. ) remarked on the future of biometric payments, saying “the idea of running out for some milk, walking into a store and using your thumb print to make the purchase has sounded futuristic, even if the technology has been in place for a while.” He added, “We have already had great success in Africa, with financial inclusion projects which use biometrics to identify millions of cardholders.” (emphasis added)
Aside from the fact that fingerprints were only used to log criminals in the past, the use of biometrics in Africa mentioned in the quote above is certainly not unique, as India has implemented a biometric ID program for all of its 1.2 billion residents. Countries such as Japan and Israel are also well on their way toward cashless societies. This clearly shows the ability to scale up this technology to eventually include everyone on the planet.
