Mastercard eye-scanning payment system hits Europe
Mastercard’s biometric eye-scanning payment system is hitting stores in Poland today, the first European country to join the pilot program.
How does it work?
Shoppers who visit any of five stores belonging to Polish bookstore chain Empik today will be able to check out by scanning their irises. The scanning will be done by eyePOS, a payment terminal made by local fintech company PayEye.
“We believe that payments with a glance are a global solution which, regardless of the latitude, provides the highest level of safety, user comfort and an amazing user experience,” says PayEye CEO Daniel Jarząb, according to Biometric Update.
‘Pay by smile’
Although the pilot is just hitting Europe, Mastercard has already introduced biometric payment systems in Latin America. In 2022, the credit card giant launched a pilot program in Brazil that allows customers to “pay by smile,” where shoppers can check out by looking at a camera connected to a point-of-sale terminal. Customers can also pay by waving their palms over a reader.
Wellness Pass: A digital identity to receive healthcare services
That same year, Mastercard announced the launch of Wellness Pass in Mauritania. Wellness Pass is a biometric digital identity card used to track vaccinations. The program, which is a collaboration between Mastercard, Trust Stamp, and the Bill Gates-founded Gavi Vaccine Alliance, has also expanded into Ethiopia.
The program works by issuing cards that are linked to a citizen’s biometric data. The card, which is loaded with the individual’s vaccination history and other health records, can be read and uploaded by healthcare providers.
“Wellness Pass is an example of how you can use a digital identity to receive healthcare services,” said Mastercard Community Pass EVP and Founder Tara Nathan.
‘They’re piloting the tech . . . for a crisis’
Critics of the Wellness Pass include commentators like actor Russell Brand, who said such initiatives by Mastercard are paving the way for something more authoritarian.
“What’s happening, I believe now, is they’re piloting the tech [to] get it on spec, wait for a crisis, and then [say], “Oh, we’re going to have to do it here now because of climate or a new pandemic or war, or whatever it is — whatever crisis is required to legitimize it,” said Brand. “A crisis, the effects of which the globalist elite establishment will be able to bypass and manage.”
