5 Ways in which Biometrics is changing our day to day lives

Despite the fact that biometrics has been around for several years, we have seen that it has gained a lot of strength in recent years, mainly thanks to the increase in the use of mobile devices. It used to be relatively simple to remember every password of our accounts, but today, with so many apps and websites, it’s no cakewalk. That’s why biometrics has regained a big role in our day to day lives.

Thanks to the fast evolution of technology and especially the rise of the mobile internet, users can nowadays manage almost everything with a simple finger touch. From shopping to buying services or connecting on social media, our smartphones let us manage anything in a matter of minutes. But along with all these innovations, comes the concern of sharing personal data and the need for better online security measures.

Yet the truth is that with these technological improvements, there is always an associated risk for users and businesses, mainly cyber fraud and data protection. That’s why we’ve also seen a lot of manufacturers putting a lot of work on incorporating new functions and complex security systems in their devices to ensure the security of this data. And among these new systems, biometrics has gained an important role.

What are the benefits of biometrics?

It was not so long ago when we used to be impressed by seeing the best secret agents in movies being identified scanning their retina. But that’s already a reality. The new era of biometrics allows manufacturers to incorporate sensors into mobile devices that enable them to recognize their owners.

Through facial, voice and fingerprint recognition among other options, we are able to access any of our accounts. But what do these changes mean in our lives?

1. Unique and unrepeatable passwords

So far, the only option that we had to protect our accounts was to type passwords to access our accounts, which may not be as secure as we thought. But nowadays, we have a more reliable alternative…biometrics. It allows us to use our own body to be identified and makes it impossible for hackers to steal any private data. And, we don’t have to worry about remembering each of our passwords. Take a look at this video to see how it works.

2. Say goodbye to conventional online payment

As we mentioned a moment ago, the new era of biometrics is not only stricter in terms of security, but it also allows us to make online payments using facial recognition. Virtual POS systems use factions of our face, our voice, retina, and hand palm to authorize online management of our bank account. This means we are leaving behind the need to carry with us a wallet full of cards, cash, and even identification.

Read more: Why Is PSD2 So Important, And How Will It Impact The Travel Industry?

3. Geolocation as a security filter

Apart from the new security measures that have been adopted so far, geolocation has been added to the list. Now, several banking entities can control by GPS the location of their customers when making an online payment and check if it has been done from a habitual location. Specially practical in case of theft and purchases made outside the usual country. If a payment is made from an unusual location, the security system will go through the rest of the authentication factors and then approve the payment.

4. The revolution in the health industry & airports

The use of this technology has spread even in some industry such as health. Hospitals, clinics and health centres are radically changing the way the identification and history of their patients are managed. Healthcare professionals can guarantee a complete confidentiality of their patients’ medical data and records, ensuring that only authorised personnel can access the folders. This reduces significantly the risk of losing data, files and optimizes the speed of the customer service and identification of patients.

But the health industry is not the only field that is fast adapting to this new technology. In fact, airports are implementing retina and fingerprint recognition to optimize passenger’s identification process, reduce security lines and for travelers to use them has boarding passes. JetBlue and Delta are two of the first airlines to implement biometrics and it’s been a success so far.

5. PINs will be replaced by better options

Just like other industries, banks are already benefiting from the advances of biometrics. Not only do they offer to its clients, the capability to manage and contract services with a simple facial recognition, but also allows withdrawing money from the ATMs by scanning their retina. This way they are making sure that no customer is left without the possibility of making use of their money by forgetting their wallet or card at home. That means cards will probably be of the things which we will be ready to say goodbye to.

Summary

There is no doubt that over the next few years, the main goal of manufacturers, businesses and bank entities will be to simplify users’ day to day lives. But in order to do so, it will be necessary to implement new technologies such as biometrics. We certainly hope to see a great change and progress in online security and that is why companies must consider and adapt rapidly to these changes. Are you interested in moving in that direction and adapting to new technologies? At TravelgateX, our group of experts can guide you to correctly adapt your business to the unstoppable progress of biometrics.