Posted July 20, 2023 1:10 PM ET
The Amazon One device at an Amazon Go store in Seattle. (Amazon via AP)
NEW YORK – Amazon will allow customers to check out with a simple payment system at all of its Whole Foods stores wave your hand.
The company announced Thursday that it will roll out its Amazon One palm recognition system at all of its more than 500 Whole Foods stores by the end of the year.
Amazon rolled out the technology in 2020, and it’s currently available in more than 200 Whole Foods stores. Panera Bread, Hudson Airport Stores and sports stadiums such as Coors Field in Colorado also offer the technology.
Whole Foods customers who choose to use Amazon One no longer need their wallets or phones to check out—they can simply place their palm over an Amazon One device.
To use the service, customers provide Whole Foods with their credit or debit card information to link their handprint.
Some privacy experts have raised concerns about Amazon One and the sharing of biometric data.
In 2021, three US Senators wrote to Amazon interviews the company about the technology, including how the tech giant might use consumer data for advertising and tracking, and consumer privacy more broadly.
“Amazon’s expansion of biometric data collection through Amazon One raises serious questions about Amazon’s plans for this data and its respect for user privacy,” the senators said wrote.
According to Amazon, customers’ palm data is protected in the Amazon Web Services cloud and palm data is not shared with third parties.
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