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UPI
Advanced Technology Biometric Cash Contactless Payment CyberCrime CyberThreat Cyersecurity Digital Payment Online Payments Privacy UPI

The Future of Payment Authentication: How Biometrics Are Revolutionizing Transactions

 



As business operates at an unprecedented pace, consumers are demanding quick, simple, and secure payment options. The future of payment authentication is here — and it’s centered around biometrics. Biometric payment companies are set to join established players in the credit card industry, revolutionizing the payment process. Biometric technology not only offers advanced security but also enables seamless, rapid transactions.

In today’s world, technologies like voice recognition and fingerprint sensors are often viewed as intrusions in the payment ecosystem. However, in the broader context of fintech’s evolution, fingerprint payments represent a significant advancement in payment processing.

Just 70 years ago, plastic credit and debit cards didn’t exist. The introduction of these cards drastically transformed retail shopping behaviors. The earliest credit card lacked a magnetic strip or EMV chip and captured information using carbon copy paper through embossed numbers.

In 1950, Frank McNamara, after repeatedly forgetting his wallet, introduced the first "modern" credit card—the Diners Club Card. McNamara paid off his balance monthly, and at that time, he was one of only three people with a credit card. Security wasn’t a major concern, as credit card fraud wasn’t prevalent. Today, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 2023 credit card report, over 190 million adults in the U.S. own a credit card.

Biometric payment systems identify users and authorize fund deductions based on physical characteristics. Fingerprint payments are a common form of biometric authentication. This typically involves two-factor authentication, where a finger scan replaces the card swipe, and the user enters their personal identification number (PIN) as usual.

Biometric technology verifies identity using biological traits such as facial recognition, fingerprints, or iris scans. These methods enhance two-step authentication, offering heightened security. Airports, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies have widely adopted this technology for identity verification.

Beyond security, biometrics are now integral to unlocking smartphones, laptops, and secure apps. During the authentication process, devices create a secure template of biometric data, such as a fingerprint, for future verification. This data is stored safely on the device, ensuring accurate and private access control.

By 2026, global digital payment transactions are expected to reach $10 trillion, significantly driven by contactless payments, according to Juniper Research. Mobile wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay are gaining popularity worldwide, with 48% of businesses now accepting mobile wallet payments.

India exemplifies this shift with its Unified Payments Interface (UPI), processing over 8 billion transactions monthly as of 2023. This demonstrates the country’s full embrace of digital payment technologies.

The Role of Governments and Businesses in Cashless Economies

Globally, governments and businesses are collaborating to offer cashless payment options, promoting convenience and interoperability. Initially, biometric applications were limited to high-security areas and law enforcement. Technologies like DNA analysis and fingerprint scanning reduced uncertainties in criminal investigations and helped verify authorized individuals in sensitive environments.

These early applications proved biometrics' precision and security. However, the idea of using biometrics for consumer payments was once limited to futuristic visions due to high costs and slow data processing capabilities.

Technological advancements and improved hardware have transformed the biometrics landscape. Today, biometrics are integrated into everyday devices like smartphones, making the technology more consumer-centric and accessible.

Privacy and Security Concerns

Despite its benefits, the rise of biometric payment systems has sparked privacy and security debates. Fingerprint scanning, traditionally linked to law enforcement, raises concerns about potential misuse of biometric data. Many fear that government agencies might gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Biometric payment providers, however, clarify that they do not store actual fingerprints. Instead, they capture precise measurements of a fingerprint's unique features and convert this into encrypted data for identity verification. This ensures that the original fingerprint isn't directly used in the verification process.

Yet, the security of biometric systems ultimately depends on robust databases and secure transaction mechanisms. Like any system handling sensitive data, protecting this information is paramount.

Biometric payment systems are redefining the future of financial transactions by offering unmatched security and convenience. As technology advances and adoption grows, addressing privacy concerns and ensuring data security will be critical for the widespread success of biometric authentication in the payment industry.
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Privacy
Banking Cash Cyberattacks CyberCrime Cyberhackers Cybersecurity Privacy

Advocating for the Persistence of Cash to Counteract Intrusive Banking Practices

 


The Bank of England released news this week that the value of notes in circulation has increased by nearly 16 percent since last year as it announced the opening of a new exhibition on the future of money (who could resist a tour through the history of payment methods?) 

A curator at the Bank of England Museum, Jennifer Adam, stated that even though many people are making more use of digital payments regularly, many people may still be using cash regularly. She also added that if users are physically handing over cash in shops to keep track of their finances, it will be much easier for them to keep track of their finances. 

There is also a theory that the spike in cash can also be attributed to “the turmoil caused by the pandemic and a rise in living costs”. In today's world, users are sick and tired of Big Brother, the state that is grabbing our data with its tentacles. 

Big Brother isn't the only problem. The government is utilizing its catalogue of scapegoats to avoid addressing the current economic hardship that families are facing to avoid addressing the election looming ahead. To whip up divisive and xenophobic, anti-immigrant sentiment, there is no better example than Rishi Sunak’s ongoing struggle to implement an illegal flagship Rwanda policy which is the best example of this principle. 

During the last week, Sunak accepted (then backed out of) a £1000 bet with TalkTV host Piers Morgan that he would get planes in the air before the next general election, which exemplifies the government’s distancing from asylum seekers most affected by this policy, highlighting how the government has become increasingly indifferent to the misfortunes of asylum seekers.  

In light of the passage of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDI), amendments to the bill will likely have a greater impact on benefits recipients regarding savings accounts, overseas travel, and other benefits. Additionally, several cruel pieces of legislation have been passed to weaken the welfare system in a misguided attempt to help people find work and to 'crackdown' on fraudulent welfare claimants by debilitating the system. 

This government seems determined to fight workers and benefits recipients against one another for votes, as evidenced by Sunak's promise of cutting disability benefits to reduce taxes. As a result of the DPDI Bill, a bill introduced by the Secretary for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride, the DWP will be able to spy on welfare recipients' bank accounts to improve the welfare system. 

Accordingly, nearly 9 million people and anyone connecting them to the claimant could be involved in surveillance. This can include previous and current partners, children, and even landlords, who may be linked to the claimant. The government is, however, facing mounting pressure against the bill, which is being backed by the private sector.

Over 80,000 signatures have been collected so far in favour of a petition asking that the government stop scrutinizing bank accounts, and to preserve benefits claimants' dignity and privacy. There have also been concerns voiced by politicians regarding privacy and surveillance. 

According to a senior government official, the government is making an Orwellian "nightmare" come true, as the House of Lords is considering a bill that would allow officials to snoop on the bank accounts of benefit claimants. For the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to be able to track fraud and errors among those claiming benefits, the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill would compel banks to provide the Department with data to assist in finding fraud and errors. 

In the House of Lords, it has now passed its second reading, which means it has passed its second reading in parliament. In his speech, Sir Prem Sikka told the House of Lords that George Orwell's iconic novel 1984, first published in 1949, proclaimed Big Brother to be the spectre of the future. 

A newly elected Conservative government has now given shape to this nightmare by allegedly rolling back many of the policies and programs of the state. As a result of the government's actions, the right of people to protest and withdraw their labour has already been undermined. The sick, disabled, elderly, poor, unfortunate, and everyone else there is on the streets are now subjected to snooping and 24/7 surveillance of their bank accounts, building societies, and other accounts without a court order.

Cash is resurging as a means of sending a reassuring message to those who have fled data to ensure that users are not alone in our flight. After the Facebook generation began to realise that posting photos of themselves getting sloshed on the internet was a mistake in an attempt to make their future bosses rethink their claims of loving nothing more than a quiet night in front of the TV, they soon stopped posting photos of themselves getting sloshed on the internet. The convenience and ease of buying everything on the go with a phone are now being less attractive for Millennials as they begin to realize that banks are watching their every move.
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