Amazon One

Amazon announced in January 2026 that its palm recognition payment system, Amazon One, will be discontinued on June 3, 2026, citing limited customer adoption. The company stated that all user data, including palm data, will be automatically deleted after the service ends and any remaining transactions are completed. Amazon One used infrared light to identify unique palm characteristics and was trained using synthetic palm images generated by AI.

correct typo, flow of prev edit is - as | ← Older revision | Revision as of 03:06, 4 September 2026 | || | 2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown | ||| | Line 14: | Line 14: | || Amazon One's palm reader was contactless and worked by using infrared light to recognize the unique characteristics of the human palm. These characteristics lines, grooves, ridges, veins would be used to create a signature that a user could then link to a payment method, or directly to their Amazon account. Amazon used synthetic imagery of human palms, produced by generative AI, in order to train Amazon One to read human palms accurately.<ref name="gen-ai-ao" {{Cite web |author=Gerard Medioni |title=How generative AI helped train Amazon One to recognize your palm |url=https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/generative-ai-trains-amazon-one-palm-scanning-technology |website=Amazon News |date=29 Sep 2020 |access-date=4 Sep 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260904001035/https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/generative-ai-trains-amazon-one-palm-scanning-technology |archive-date=4 Sep 2026}}</ref | Amazon One's palm reader was contactless and worked by using infrared light to recognize the unique characteristics of the human palm. These characteristics lines, grooves, ridges, veins would be used to create a signature that a user could then link to a payment method, or directly to their Amazon account. Amazon used synthetic imagery of human palms, produced by generative AI, in order to train Amazon One to read human palms accurately.<ref name="gen-ai-ao" {{Cite web |author=Gerard Medioni |title=How generative AI helped train Amazon One to recognize your palm |url=https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/generative-ai-trains-amazon-one-palm-scanning-technology |website=Amazon News |date=29 Sep 2020 |access-date=4 Sep 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260904001035/https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/generative-ai-trains-amazon-one-palm-scanning-technology |archive-date=4 Sep 2026}}</ref | || In January of 2026, Amazon announced via the Amazon One help page that Amazon One services would be discontinued on June 3rd, 2026. No action was required of users for their related data to be deleted, with the page stating, "Amazon One user data, including palm data, will be automatically deleted following the discontinuation of the services and after completion of any remaining transactions."<ref name="ao-discontinued-geek" {{Cite web |author=Taylor Soper |title=Amazon is ending its palm ID system for retail, Amazon One, as it closes physical stores |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2026/amazon-is-ending-its-palm-id-system-for-retail-amazon-one-as-it-closes-physical-stores |website=Amazon News |date= |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260904003222/https://www.geekwire.com/2026/amazon-is-ending-its-palm-id-system-for-retail-amazon-one-as-it-closes-physical-stores |archive-date=4 Sep 2026}}</ref <ref name="ao-discontinued-help" {{Cite web |author= |title=Help <nowiki |</nowiki What's changing? |url=https://amazonone.aws.com/help |website=AWS <nowiki |</nowiki Amazon One |date= |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260424044421/https://amazonone.aws.com/help |archive-date=24 Apr 2026}}</ref | In January of 2026, Amazon announced via the Amazon One help page that Amazon One services would be discontinued on June 3rd, 2026. No action was required of users for their related data to be deleted, with the page stating, "Amazon One user data, including palm data, will be automatically deleted following the discontinuation of the services and after completion of any remaining transactions." Amazon cited "limited customer adoption" as the reason for discontinuation of the service.<ref name="ao-discontinued-geek" {{Cite web |author=Taylor Soper |title=Amazon is ending its palm ID system for retail, Amazon One, as it closes physical stores |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2026/amazon-is-ending-its-palm-id-system-for-retail-amazon-one-as-it-closes-physical-stores |website=Amazon News |date= |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260904003222/https://www.geekwire.com/2026/amazon-is-ending-its-palm-id-system-for-retail-amazon-one-as-it-closes-physical-stores |archive-date=4 Sep 2026}}</ref <ref name="ao-discontinued-help" {{Cite web |author= |title=Help <nowiki |</nowiki What's changing? |url=https://amazonone.aws.com/help |website=AWS <nowiki |</nowiki Amazon One |date= |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260424044421/https://amazonone.aws.com/help |archive-date=24 Apr 2026}}</ref | || ==Consumer-impact summary== | ==Consumer-impact summary== | || | Line 26: | Line 26: | || ===Customers offered $10 credit to share biometric data ''August 2021'' === | ===Customers offered $10 credit to share biometric data ''August 2021'' === | || In August 2021, Amazon ran a promotional campaign offering a $10 credit to customers that signed up to use Amazon One.<ref name="10-credit-tc" {{Cite web |author=Zacl Whittaker |title=Amazon will pay you $10 in credit for your palm print biometrics |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/02/amazon-credit-palm-biometrics |website=TechCrunch |date=2 Aug 2021 |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260904015747/https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/02/amazon-credit-palm-biometrics |archive-date=4 Sep 2026}}</ref In an interview with CBS MoneyWatch, Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project STOP , said of the situation: | In August 2021, Amazon ran a promotional campaign offering a $10 credit to customers that signed up to use Amazon One.<ref name="10-credit-tc" {{Cite web |author=Zacl Whittaker |title=Amazon will pay you $10 in credit for your palm print biometrics |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/02/amazon-credit-palm-biometrics |website=TechCrunch |date=2 Aug 2021 |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260904015747/https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/02/amazon-credit-palm-biometrics |archive-date=4 Sep 2026}}</ref In an interview with ''CBS MoneyWatch'', Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project STOP , said of the situation: | || <blockquote It's horrifying that people are being asked to sell their bodies in this way, but it's even worse that people are doing it for such a cheap price. I'm terrified that the biometric data used to check out of stores today will be used by ICE to deport undocumented people in the future.<ref name="10-credit-cbs" {{Cite web |author=Megan Cerullo |title=Amazon will pay you $10 in credit for your palm print biometrics |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-palm-prints-customers |website= | <blockquote It's horrifying that people are being asked to sell their bodies in this way, but it's even worse that people are doing it for such a cheap price. I'm terrified that the biometric data used to check out of stores today will be used by ICE to deport undocumented people in the future.<ref name="10-credit-cbs" {{Cite web |author=Megan Cerullo |title=Amazon will pay you $10 in credit for your palm print biometrics |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-palm-prints-customers |website=CBS MoneyWatch |date=3 Aug 2021 |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260423161825/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-palm-prints-customers/ |archive-date=23 Apr 2026}}</ref </blockquote | || Following the report by ''TechCrunch'' and further coverage of the story by other media outlets, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar D-MN , Bill Cassidy, M.D. R-LA , and Jon Ossoff D-GA wrote Amazon CEO Andy Jassy to inquire information about Amazon's practices related to the use and management of biometric data gathered through Amazon One. The company declined to comment on the issue.<ref name="10-credit-us" {{Cite web |author= |title=Klobuchar, Cassidy, Ossoff Demand Information About Amazon’s Biometric Data Collection Practices |url=https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2021/8/klobuchar-cassidy-ossoff-demand-information-about-amazon-s-biometric-data-collection-practices |website=U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar |date=13 Aug 2021 |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260904024808/https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2021/8/klobuchar-cassidy-ossoff-demand-information-about-amazon-s-biometric-data-collection-practices |archive-date=4 Sep 2026}}</ref <ref name="10-credit-bt" {{Cite web |author= |title=Amazon's palm print recognition raises concern among US senators |url=https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/technology/amazons-palm-print-recognition-raises-concern-among-us-senators |website=The Business Times Singapore |date=13 Aug 2021 |access-date=4 Sep 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260904025133/https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/technology/amazons-palm-print-recognition-raises-concern-among-us-senators |archive-date=4 Sep 2026}}</ref | ||| ==See also== | ==See also== |