Embeddable, Injectable, Ingestible: Killing the Password!

It looks like PayPal is gearing up to revolutionize the way which we authenticate ourselves to our lovely devices and online accounts. Just when you thought that biometric finger-print scanners and iris scanners were high-tech authentication devices, Jonathan LeBlanc is looking into more subtle authentication methods such as identifying heart-beat patterns, vein patterns, and stomach content. How will this be done? Well, the title of this article kind of gives it away. LeBlanc intends to develop embeddable, injectable, and ingestible devices that analyze our body’s more intimate operations.

Mr. LeBlanc is PayPal’s global head of developer evangelism and, as you may have assumed by reading the above paragraph, he has large ambitions for the future of authentication. Now, LeBlanc makes it clear that PayPal may not implement these identification devices. However, the company does want to be at the forefront of such development. Indeed, what major company wouldn’t want to be at the forefront of new, innovative devices, especially in the field of authentication? Authentication and security is such a huge issue today and its only getting bigger. It only makes sense that company’s want to protect their customers and if embeddable, injectable, and ingestible devices is the way to do accomplish this, then company’s will (at the very least) look into these devices.

As to the public’s reaction to PayPal’s research, I think the comment section in the linked article is an effective gauge of the general public’s opinion. Most people will be less than thrilled about this new technology. Many will be worried and rightly so. Still, as with most emerging technology, it will be interesting to see what comes of PayPal’s endeavors.