24 March, 2009
category: Biometrics, Financial
Researchers, following a six month trial test, have concluded that the Tip2Pay system that was slated to be installed at all Albert Heijns, Dutch supermarket chains, has a fatal flaw allowing a user to make purchases via a fake fingerprint, according to an American Banker article.
The trial concluded in January and involved 580 customers of the Breukelen store that had enrolled by submitting a fingerprint and the necessary financial data to conduct trasactions.
While word coming back from the customers enrolled in the trial said they liked the convenience of the system, the flaw, which was exposed when a researcher used a copy of a Dutch television reporter’s fingerprint to fool the system, has halted the implementation plan.
Other issues that came up with the system included trouble reading elderly users’ fingerprints. A spokesman for the project has reported that while the system is not yet ready for widespread implementation in the chain, it still holds promise.
Read the full story here