Worldpay, a payment processing technology company, said it's researching the use of facial recognition in stores around the U.K. as a card fraud preventative measure.
The Pin Entry Device Camera, or PED Cam, as the company called it, uses an upward-facing camera to take a photo of card users whenever they enter their PIN.
“The resulting image generates a unique biometric template, linked to the individual's card and is stored in a secure, central database managed by Worldpay,” the company wrote in a press release. “Card terminals linked to the central database capture a fresh image of the card-user's face every time they enter their PIN learning the profile of the user over time to improve identification.”
This new image is then cross-referenced against prior data and used to authenticate the user.
This camera is embedded in the standard card terminal.
