I was simultaneously fascinated and horrified at this piece of news my editor David Harris sent me a couple days ago.

Pay by face.

Pay.

By.

Face.

Fascinated because wow, technology. It’s probably pretty convenient if you’re out and about and realize you need to pick up some sunblock or canned fish or whatever it is people buy in Finland, but have forgotten your debit card at home. No worries! You did bring your face, after all. It’s also kind of neat in the same sense that Google knows what you’ve been looking at and interested in and tailors its sidebar ads accordingly.

But on the other hand, Google knows what you’ve been looking at!!!

Should my bank ever decide to introduce a “pay by face” application, I think I’ll opt out. I do not like taking pictures of my face, and I do not like others taking pictures of my face. Every photo somehow manages to capture my very most awkward drunk face, and then I wind up having to explain to my mother that, no, I am not actually drunk in every photo you see tagged of me on Facebook. Sheesh, I do not even have a selfie on my Twitter account, mainly for this reason. (Also, I hate the word “selfie.”)

It is too late on a Friday to be pondering the potential consequences of this technology, though. Happy long weekend, everybody!

Ah, nuts. PayPal is doing it, too.

Here’s a face for you…

by Banker & Tradesman time to read: 1 min
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