When I travelled to San Francisco recently I had my fingerprints scanned at the airport – my fingers are a matter of national security. Yesterday I joined a gym where I had my fingerprint scanned – my finger is a fine replacement for an electronic pass.
The idea of using bits of your body as a passcode hit the mainstream marketplace not so long ago with the release of Apple’s iPhone 5s and iOS 7, which incorporate fingerprint-scanning technologies to unlock devices and but items on the Apple App store and iTunes.
PayPal recently released a study in conjunction with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) that delved into consumer behaviour and how people perceive mobile devices, including the use of biometrics for security purposes.
A total of 1,000 American adults were surveyed in September. According to the study, people are more reliant than ever on mobile, including a growing use of mobile devices for shopping. The majority of those surveyed, though, still don’t view mobile as a very secure option for making purchases online or in-store.
The study found that 70% did not feel that storing payment information on a smartphone was safe, and more than 60% were unsure about what financial information could be stored on their devices.
However, when it came to biometric protections on mobile devices, respondents were open to trying out these new technologies in place of traditional security measures like passwords. Interestingly, more than half of the respondents (53%) said that they would be willing to replace passwords with fingerprints, and 45% would even opt for a retinal scan instead.
So what do you reckon? Does biometrics get the thumbs up from you? Or the finger?
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