Face Pay
Facial recognition is a topic that can be polarizing. Some say it is an excellent way for devices to recognize users and others say it is a way for governments to track you wherever you go. That said, the technology continues to improve both on the hardware and software side, and as that happens, the legitimacy of facila recognition improves. It seems that Kakao Pay (035720.KS) has decided to test out that legitimacy by using facial recognition as a payment method in a number of unmanned stores early next year. Shinhan Card (SHG), Korea’s largest card company has also begun using facial recognition for cardless payments at a number of retail locations in Seoul.
The Kakao system, which operates off-line so as not to be vulnerable to remote hackers, allows the customer to purchase items without any payment application or card using a 3D camera and anti-spoofing software that makes sure the face being scanned is not ‘camouflaged’. The unmanned system requires that the user registers his/her face and card information at an separate unmanned register, after which you can use any register that accepts Kakao Pay by just looking at the camera.. The company is developing additional software that can estimate a customer’s age and gender.
Fortunately or unfortunately unmanned facial recognition systems for commercial applications are most common in China and Russia, with a fare payment system using facial recognition installed in 240 stations in Moscow, and a similar system in China, that allows the user to go through the system without taking their mask off. That said, given the more restrictive governments in these locations, the odds are that those who might try to ‘game’ the system would be less likely than in an environment where such small violations might be overlooked.
There are a number of bio-recognition tests that such systems have to pass in order to be certified by the government in Korea, with a number of banks and financial institutions having completed certification, but as is always the case with CE products, they tend to work differently in the real world, so we remain a bit skeptical about how quickly unmanned facial recognition payment systems will be deployed. Retailers are certainly in favor as it would cut labor costs and associated benefits, but if it is found that the systems are more difficult for customers to use (think about the success rate for your groceries at the self-check registers “Item not found – Help is on the way”) or are not 100% spoof-proof, adoption might take some time, and could you imagine how many customers might be offended if facial recognition software identifies gender incorrectly? The Twitter blowback would be massive….
The Kakao system, which operates off-line so as not to be vulnerable to remote hackers, allows the customer to purchase items without any payment application or card using a 3D camera and anti-spoofing software that makes sure the face being scanned is not ‘camouflaged’. The unmanned system requires that the user registers his/her face and card information at an separate unmanned register, after which you can use any register that accepts Kakao Pay by just looking at the camera.. The company is developing additional software that can estimate a customer’s age and gender.
Fortunately or unfortunately unmanned facial recognition systems for commercial applications are most common in China and Russia, with a fare payment system using facial recognition installed in 240 stations in Moscow, and a similar system in China, that allows the user to go through the system without taking their mask off. That said, given the more restrictive governments in these locations, the odds are that those who might try to ‘game’ the system would be less likely than in an environment where such small violations might be overlooked.
There are a number of bio-recognition tests that such systems have to pass in order to be certified by the government in Korea, with a number of banks and financial institutions having completed certification, but as is always the case with CE products, they tend to work differently in the real world, so we remain a bit skeptical about how quickly unmanned facial recognition payment systems will be deployed. Retailers are certainly in favor as it would cut labor costs and associated benefits, but if it is found that the systems are more difficult for customers to use (think about the success rate for your groceries at the self-check registers “Item not found – Help is on the way”) or are not 100% spoof-proof, adoption might take some time, and could you imagine how many customers might be offended if facial recognition software identifies gender incorrectly? The Twitter blowback would be massive….
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