MasterCard Also Wants Your Fingerprint ID

In an effort to make online shopping and authentication more secure and less reliant on passwords, an increasing number of companies are joining the FIDO Alliance, which among other things is pushing for the use of fingerprint scanning. MasterCard is the latest to join the FIDO Alliance, and perhaps one of the most important at this early stage, as it's the first major payment network to hop on board.

FIDO is currently at work developing technical specifications for an open standard that includes biometric data such as fingerprint scanning, which would be used to replace passwords when shopping online or logging into a website.

FIDO Alliance

This kind of technology obviously requires a physical scanner. Apple's iPhone 5S has an integrated fingerprint reader, though the Cupertino outfit isn't part of FIDO. Google is, however, and it won't be long before you see Android smartphones touting fingerprint readers.

FIDO's challenge will be putting all the pieces together. Getting everyone on board is no easy task, as it would require cooperation from your mobile device, payment method, and online shopping site.HotHardware