First Biometric Reader Installed In Florida Business

St. Petersburg Times ^ | June 20, 2006 | MARK ALBRIGHT

[ritewingwarrior]

TAMPA - Customers can pay with cash, plastic or their index finger at a new Coast to Coast Family Convenience store here.

Taking a big step beyond the ease of the Mobil SpeedPass, Coast to Coast has installed what's claimed as Florida's first biometric payment system.

There are no cards or PIN numbers to remember. Just stick your finger in the scanner and be on your way.

While applications are available to process credit and store loyalty card transactions by fingerprint, this one is limited to processing only debit account transactions.

"People either love it or think it's a sign of the coming apocalypse,'' said Amer Hawatmeh, owner of the new convenience store at 110 E Bearss Ave. who signed up a few hundred customers for Pay By Touch. "But to me, it's the wave of the future.''

Pay By Touch is one of several speedier payment technologies racing to build enough retailer acceptance to ace out rivals and overcome consumers' rising concerns over identity theft.

[ritewingwarrior]

The days of using credit cards or paper money are coming to an end. I have waited anxiously for the time when fingerprint technology would start to become mainstream in society. Not only will it reduce the need to print up money, as time goes on, but it will also alleviate fraud for people who choose to use this system.

[YoungHickey]

...Or raise finger-theft.

[APRPEH]

good discussion of this issue here, previous posting

[refermech]

Yup, finger jackings on the rise.

[Andy from Chapel Hill]

See www.authentec.com

FYI, I was the founding VC of this company.

[ThomasThomas]

So if it reads the finger print how long before we counterfeit fingers?

[RightWhale]

People either love it or think it's a sign of the coming apocalypse

Sign? Sign? We don't need no steenkin' sign.

[ASOC]

Biometrics is becoming big (multi billion $) business
http://www.biometricgroup.com/press_releases/pr_2006_BMIR_2010.html

But the technology may have a ways to go. http://www.heise.de/ct/english/02/11/114/ On the plus side, computer geeks will find a lot of work in the industry as will security types.

We love you George.

[Andy from Chapel Hill]

George?

[ASOC]

Orwell - as in 1984. Technology was an intergal part of the opression of the populace.

A newer look *1984* might be the movie "Barb Wire" --aside from the silly plot and bad acting, it too had biometric technology (retna scanners) as a key plot device.

[TChris]

Duplicating another's fingerprint and fooling a biometric scanner is a simple process that any high-school student could do. It's been proven better than 50% effective too.

The technology isn't up to protecting my bank account yet.

[YoungHickey]

Minority Report had some schnifty little devices in that like retina scans.

[ASOC]

Didn't watch the movie - something about the star actor...Tom Somebody.....

[VOA]

I just pray the thugs force my finger up to the pay device.
And let me keep my digit.

Otherwise, I do like the advance in use of biometrics.

[Diamond]

They can get my gun when they pry it from my cold, dead finger.

Cordially,

[Caipirabob]

So if it reads the finger print how long before we counterfeit fingers?

Or cut them OFF entirely. I'm afraid this is exactly what this would lead to.

[Vroomfondel]

Customers can pay with cash, plastic or their index finger at a new Coast to Coast Family Convenience store here.

Ironic considering how often Art Bell has had folks railing against this sort of thing on Coast to Coast AM.

Are we sure Art is in the Phillipines? Maybe that's just what he wants us to think!

[YoungHickey]

Didn't watch the movie - something about the star actor...Tom Somebody.....

It was a good movie... even if he's an idiot.