Wave goodbye to the past and hello to the future! 👋 Amazon's 'palm payments' are here, letting you pay with just a scan of your hand. No more cards or wallets needed. But is it convenient or creepy? We'll leave that up to you!

The Pulse Results (43 Votes) 📈

Side A 30.23% - Palm payment is the way of the future, it’s cool and convenient

Side B 69.77% - Palm payment is an unnecessary gimmick we don’t need, it’s creepy and dangerous

^{Poll closed: July 26, 2023}

Amazon will let you pay with a wave of your hand at all Whole Foods stores

Published on: July 20, 2023
Published by: CNN

Remember those jokes we all used to make about paying with a scan of your hand in the future? Well, the future is officially here.

Amazon announced that it will put its palm-scanning payment technology, “Amazon One”, into more than 500 Whole Food locations across the U.S. The technology allows you to link your Amazon account and payment information to your palm print. Yup, that’s right. Your palm print.

Now, you can breeze through more than 500 Whole Food locations across the U.S., waving goodbye to your bulky dad wallet while you’re at it.

While some are excited about the convenience of it all, some privacy experts are urging users to proceed with caution.

Credit cards are replaceable; if you lose one, you can cancel it and get a new one. But your biometrics? They're personal and permanent, and once they're out there, you can't just take them back.

Amazon is charging full speed ahead with Amazon One, so it’s safe to say that Jeff Bezos doesn’t care what you think. But we sure do…

We want to know where you stand: Is ‘paying with your palm’ cool and convenient? Or dangerous and creepy?

The Debate Showdown

Side A: Palm payment is the way of the future, it’s cool and convenient

• This technology is similar to the FaceID we use to unlock our iPhones, it’s convenient and secure. The facial recognition feature on our iPhones has become such a second nature to many of us, as will the palm payment eventually.

• If you’ve ever lost your wallet, you know what a pain in the a$$ it is to go through the process of replacing all your cards. With Amazon One, you don’t have to worry about any of that.

• How many times have you been in a situation where you don’t have your credit card or cash on you? Amazon One is perfect in cases of emergencies, or even daily conveniences like walking your dog, running on the beach, etc. Paying with your palm is SO convenient.

• Your palm is completely unique to you, nobody can just come up and steal it from you. It’s even more secure than a physical card or phone.

Side B: Palm payment is an unnecessary gimmick we don’t need, it’s creepy and dangerous

• It’s incredibly risky to hand over personal biometric information to a third party, especially a company like Amazon - you never know what they’ll use your information for in the future. If you’re like 99.99% of the population… you likely haven’t read the ‘Terms and Conditions’ yet, have you?

• Hacking threats are real. You can replace a credit card but you can’t replace your literal palm and finger prints, those are personal and permanent. Do you really want to risk that information making its way into the wrong hands?

• The tap feature on credit cards & Apple Pay on your phone is equally as convenient as Amazon One - with one tap, payment is done. Skip the palm scan and just use any other tap feature we already have, Amazon One is an unnecessary gimmick.

• With the crazy rise of AI, it’s important to keep your information as sacred as possible right now … We don’t know exactly what AI is capable of and what people will use it for. The less personal data we have out there, the better.

Previous Debate

The Pulse Results (36 Votes) 📈

Side A 27.78% - AI is changing every industry, Hollywood needs to adapt & embrace it like everyone else

Side B 72.22% - Actors and writers have every right to strike, just like everyone else

^{Poll closed: July 24, 2023}

Want to dive deeper?

• Amazon will let you pay with a wave of your hand at all Whole Foods stores - CNN

• Amazon One palm payment technology is coming to all 500+ Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S. - Amazon

• Amazon releases new cashless "pay by palm" technology that requires only a hand wave - CBS News

• Whole Foods customers will soon be able to pay for their groceries with the palm of their hand - USA Today

• Amazon One Expands To All Whole Foods Markets Across The U.S., Offering Easy Palm Payment Technology - Insider

• Amazon's Palm Payments Are Convenient, But Are They Safe? - Lifewire

• Amazon wants a copy of your 'palm signature.' You should pass. - Mashable

• Amazon imagines a world where you pay with your hand. Privacy experts aren’t so sure. - The Washington Post

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