As biometric checkouts spread across supermarkets and airports, privacy experts warn the technology is moving faster than regulation.
Biometric payment systems—long associated with high-security facilities—are now quietly entering everyday life. From supermarkets in the US to football stadiums in Europe, customers are being encouraged to pay by simply waving a hand over a scanner. Tech companies describe these systems, which rely on palm-vein patterns or other unique biological markers, as the “next logical step” in a world that increasingly prioritises speed and frictionless convenience.
Supporters argue that the appeal is obvious. Palm-vein scanning can reduce checkout times, curb fraud, and eliminate the need for wallets, cards or even phones. “It’s the most seamless form of payment we’ve ever deployed,” says Mark Linton, a spokesperson for one retail chain piloting the technology. “You just hover your hand and go. No PIN, no device, no hassle.” In an industry obsessed with efficiency, the promise of instant identity verification is irresistible.
But critics warn that behind the sleek scanners lies a more complicated reality—one that raises profound questions about privacy, security and the growing imbalance between corporate power and public protection. Biometric data, unlike a password, cannot be reset or changed. If compromised in a breach, it is lost forever.
“People talk about convenience as if it were harmless, but the stakes are extremely high,” says Dr Elena Madsen, a researcher at the European Centre for Digital Rights. “You can change a compromised card number. You cannot change your hand.”
Privacy advocates argue that the expansion of biometric payments is happening with little transparency. Few consumers understand how their data is processed, how long it is stored, or who has access to it. Some companies promise that biometric templates are encrypted and kept only on secure servers. Others admit that data may be shared with third-party processors. In many countries, regulators are struggling to keep up with the speed at which the technology is being deployed.
The concern goes beyond the possibility of hacking. Experts warn of “surveillance creep”: a gradual expansion of a technology beyond its original purpose. A system introduced for fast payments could, over time, be repurposed for customer tracking, targeted advertising, or even behavioural profiling. Without strong legal safeguards, the line between convenience and control becomes dangerously thin.
A 2024 report by the International Data Accountability Forum found that 62% of consumers who used biometric payment systems believed their data “would never leave the store’s system”—a belief that is often incorrect. “There is a real mismatch between what people think is happening and what is actually written in the terms and conditions,” says Madsen.
Retail chains and tech providers insist that the systems are safe and that uptake is growing because customers want fast, modern alternatives. Early adopters tend to describe the process as “effortless” and “surprisingly natural.” But civil liberties groups caution that public enthusiasm alone is not a substitute for regulation.
As companies race to build the future of shopping, policymakers face increasingly urgent questions: Who owns biometric data? Who can access it? And what happens when the technology evolves faster than the rules designed to protect the people who use it?
For now, one thing seems clear: the rise of palm-payment systems is reshaping not just how people shop, but how much of themselves they are willing to give away in the name of convenience.
A. Choose the correct answer (A, B or C).
What is Amazon expanding?
a) A delivery system
b) A palm payment system
c) A fingerprint scanner
Where will this system be available?
a) In some states only
b) At all Whole Foods stores in the U.S.
c) Only online
What do customers need to do first?
a) Download an app
b) Register their palm and link a credit card
c) Open an Amazon account
What does the device scan?
a) The surface of the skin
b) Fingerprints
c) The vein patterns under the skin
Where is the data stored?
a) On the customer’s phone
b) In the cloud
c) In the supermarket computer