Fingerprint scanning technology and IoT can now buy you food and beer

The number of innovative tech projects is growing at an amazing rate. Past opportunities include the use of biometrics such as face recognition, iris scanning and fingerprint recognition, mostly used for authentication and access control. Yet a recent project shows the opportunities are infinite – you can buy beer with your thumb through an IoT application.

Seattle sports fans no longer have to wait in line for beer or food while watching their favorite game at CenturyLink Field stadium, thanks to the Seattle Seahawks, “the first NFL team to allow customers to purchase concessions using only a fingerprint,” according to CBS Sports.

“With approval from the State of Washington to replace a traditional ID check with biometric powered age validation, CLEAR members at CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field can buy food and drinks, and simultaneously prove that they are of legal age for alcohol purchases — all with just their fingerprints,” explains their press release.

Sports fans simply have to create an account with CLEAR. CLEAR has so far successfully deployed iris-scanning technology in over 35 US airports and, if the current projects proves a success, it will probably be implemented with other facilities to improve customer experience.

So far though, nothing mentioned about data security, which should be the first concern addressed by any company collecting so much biometric data from users. Biometrics offer a wide range of options, so companies should be committed to safeguarding data privacy and security. Anyone excited about the opportunity to incorporate biometrics and IoT into their purchasing experience should care about their data, where it is stored and for how long, and if and how it is encrypted to keep hackers out of their unique authentication code.