tech news 

Amazon One, Amazon’s contactless payment service

Savior

Amazon is constantly updating its services: recently we saw the launch of the first band , the cloud gaming service , the new Alexa devices . Amazon never ceases to amaze us and continues its progress, this time in the banking world: Amazon One is born, the first contactless payment device with recognition of the palm of the hand.

The project was created to simplify the daily life of its users, making payment very fast, convenient and contactless in the shops that offer this service . Amazon already offers a service to avoid long lines at the checkout and the possibility of combining these two services is not excluded. This new system is not only designed for Amazon Go but wherever a payment card, subscription, badge, loyalty and others are required. Amazon does not rule out the possibility of offering the service to third parties, so that more people can benefit from this ease and convenience in more places.

Spending as little time as possible in a supermarket is very useful for a busy daily life but especially in this pandemic period. Regarding Covid-19, in fact Amazon One eliminates the use of cash and pos , thus avoiding more and more potential infections. Months ago, in fact, the scientific community advised against the use of cash, seen as a transmission method for the virus. Thanks to Amazon's new contactless payment method, the insertion of the indispensable pin will also be avoided in payments with contactless cards if the expense exceeds a specific threshold.

A few simple steps for Amazon One

The palm of the hand is unique for each subject and the left is different from the right but not only in shape. With a simple analysis of the palm of the hand it is possible to identify a subject, not only by looking at ridges, lines and furrows but also the veins . The system captures the details of your palm and maps your digital signature. Using proprietary imaging and computer vision techniques, Amazon One is able to recognize your palm in seconds, associate it with your One ID and pay.

Three simple steps: your hands are unique and Amazon One is able to read them to allow you a contactless and secure payment.

It is necessary to register in a specialized store using Amazon One devices: in less than a minute your Amazon One ID is ready and free . Your ID is made up of your credit card number (the most common are accepted), the digital signature of the palm and a telephone number. The phone number is essential to link the Amazon account with which to access the Amazon One platform and receive related communications. In the platform it is possible to check expenses, places and dates of use, manage the account but the system works even without association or registration to the Amazon account.

From the platform settings or from individual devices in stores you can change the data : add the other palm, cards and phone numbers. In the platform, you can also see your purchase history and changes made in your account. Currently the service is offered in only two stores in Seattle but the company announces an expansion soon.

Integrating Amazon One with Amazon Go opens up new frontiers for shopping . Amazon then imagines new supermarkets in which an automatic system understands the products placed in the cart and are automatically charged to the Amazon account. With the new One system, instead of debiting your Amazon account by issuing a receipt, it will be possible to pay with the palm of your hand by debiting your account. In this way, you will be able to shop even without your wallet and especially avoid losing it in shops or suffering a theft.

Security and privacy

The palm of the hand is a biometric data that is uniquely identifying for each subject, for this reason it is necessary to protect it and save it encrypted. Palms are never saved on Amazon One devices found in stores . Palm images are encrypted and sent to a highly secure custom designed area in the cloud where your palm signature is created. A mazon also protects transaction data, phone numbers and cards , following all proprietary security and privacy standards.

Amazon has chosen to use the palm of the hand as an identification data for four reasons:

  • It is not easy to determine a person's identity by looking at an image of his palm. It is difficult to attack, modify and steal.
  • It requires an intentional gesture by holding the palm of the hand over the device to be used. It is difficult for anyone to be forced to make that gesture or for the palm to be replicated.
  • It is contactless, appreciated by customers especially in a pandemic period.
  • The customer chooses when and where to use the service.

The palm digitization is protected by several levels of control and security : encryption, data isolation and dedicated secure zones with limited access controls. Amazon uses your palm only to recognize you, generate and update the signature associated with it.

If you decide to cancel your Amazon One ID , Amazon will permanently delete your handheld signature from systems after the remaining transactions are completed. Your Amazon One ID will also be automatically deleted if you don't interact with an Amazon One device for two years.

The Amazon One item Amazon contactless payment service comes from TechCuE .