Amazon is rolling out its palm recognition program at more than 400 locations across the U.S. and is currently available at 200 Whole Foods stores. The company says it expects all 500+ Whole Foods locations will have the service by the end of the year.
The service, called Amazon One, uses a scanner to allow customers to use their palms for identification, making payments, and accessing their Prime membership benefits at participating locations. Amazon claims there is a growing demand for its palm recognition program after its supposed success at Amazon Fresh stores and Panera Bread, which launched its linking capabilities at select locations.
The company said in a press release that users are able to pre-enroll online and finish their enrollment by scanning their palm across an Amazon One device anywhere that the program is available. Customers’ accounts will automatically be linked to their palm meaning savings will automatically be applied while the customer swipes their palm at checkout.
“We are always looking for new ways to delight our customers and improve the shopping experience,” Leandro Balbinot, chief technology officer at Whole Foods Market, said in Amazon’s press release. “Since we’ve introduced Amazon One at Whole Foods Market stores over the past two years, we’ve seen that customers love the convenience it provides, and we’re excited to bring Amazon One to all of our customers across the U.S.”
Amazon One launched in 2021, marketing the program as a safe and secure way to pay at select stores. The company says on its Amazon One site that it “uses the information embedded in your palm to create a unique palm signature that it can reach each and every time you use it.”
The new rollout comes months after a customer filed a class-action lawsuit against an Amazon Go store in New York City, accusing the location of violating the city’s Biometric Identifier Information Law. The lawsuit claimed a sign wasn’t posted outside the store notifying customers that cameras were collecting their biometric data, something Amazon vehemently denied.
“We do not use facial recognition technology in any of our stores, and claims made otherwise are false,” an Amazon spokesperson told Gizmodo at the time. The spokesperson clarified, “Only shoppers who choose to enrol in Amazon One and choose to be identified by hovering their palm over the Amazon One device have their palm-biometric data securely collected, and these individuals are provided the appropriate privacy disclosures during the enrollment process. The customer is always in control of when they choose to be identified using their palm.”
There you have it, reader, the choice is yours. Choose wisely.