Is this how big brother expands his grip on us

[Spartacus]

Wow

I've just read the article on Amazon's new palm scanning technology.

BBC News - Amazon One: Palm scanner launched for 'secure' payments

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54337984

Fairly innocent until you read that they see it being used for all sorts including building security.

As well as understanding your online shopping preferences and habits through their site, tools like this, if implemented wider could be used to track you in real time and with their algorithms they can use it to see what other goods and services they can offed you.

"You appear to be in Westminster , rather than going to pret let us deliver lunch to you as it is almost the time you normally go out to eat and based on your recent purchases we recommend the all day breakfast sandwich from the Amazon store"

Just a bit too much information and power in one organisations hands (if you excuse the pun) for my liking. I thought Alexa was bad enough but this appears to be real scary sci fi territory!

What next is my question ?

[JohnL]

My bank has started sending "happy payday" texts. They mean - oh you still have a job then.

Alexa has started making all sorts of strange comments recently - like she's making an effort.

It all started since I stopped going out.

[JohnL]

Oh yes and Alexa's blue light comes on sometimes as if she's listening - then goes off again without anything happening.

[Spartacus]

That's just being paranoid johnl

She doesn't need the blue light to listen to you and apparently she talks to your phone behind your back.

But being serious, is the palm reader just taking a single company's knowledge of you too far ? Should Amazon be split to prevent it becoming the all seeing organisation knowing everything about each of us ?

It is the stuff of a science fiction nightmare movie !

[Sephiroth]

I?d say your worries are broadly justified Spartacus. I don?t think there is A Big Brother tho. Just several competing companies with designs on your data

https://daringfireball.net/linked/2020/09/29/amazon-palm-payments