Technological advancements are perpetually appearing; new and interesting ways to make life easier, more efficient, maybe even more enjoyable, are always popping up by the day. From motorized bikes to credit cards, these developments were designed to make life more convenient. But how long until we breach ethical lines? The Whole Foods biometric scanner, Amazon One, allows people to access their bank accounts with only their palm print, analysis of physical features in their skin, and vein positions. This allows the scanners to: map out the unique pattern of your palm that is then linked to your card, which is connected to your bank account. But is it a good idea for a multi million dollar company to have any data about our bodies? Now, I admit this idea holds some benefit. Modern-day society requires you to carry around so many things it is impossible to not get items lost from time to time.  For example, my mother is constantly losing her keys. I have been late to school because she takes an incredible amount of time to find them, which were on her office desk, sound familiar? 

My point is, with the biometric scanner, you are your own key. Not only that, but the complex pattern of our bodies makes it hard to replicate such data without the original analysis. In fact, even Amazon itself claims that no two recordings of the same information are identical, because of the constant subtle changes and movements throughout the body. Biologically speaking, the term “finger print” signifies that we humans have our very own unique “code” if you will, much like DNA. So, on the surface, it seems like a good idea.

But what cost comes with sharing this information? Is it a good idea to create a new type of personal information in a world where people will inevitably figure out how to steal it? Should we trust Amazon to scan your body and believe they will only record what they say they will? Honestly, if I can’t trust Amazon with my phone number or other bits of my personal information, why the heck should I give them data based on my own living and breathing body?  One can and is arguing  that this type of data is the most personal type of data there is, the most valuable.

Another thing to consider is that this technology does not analyze just the physical features of the human hand but also the chemical signatures said hands possess. Our actions as humans affect our bodies; these include environmental factors, diet, and lifestyle. All of those create lasting signs in our bodies, from our skin cells, to our irises. It’s all there. For a scanner as powerful as Amazon’s, it is entirely possible that they can collect these signs learn not only our handprints, but also other biological data that would show other personal pieces of data like our age, diet, or any other physical features for that matter.Now, you must be asking, what are these effects? For starters, dietary triglycerides (lipids and fatty acids) affect the size of the epidermal layer of our skin. So, a high-fat concentration not only increases the thickness of our skin but also affects the exchange of heat and energy with our environment. 

A second example would be the aging of our skin, which is caused not only by the passage of time but also by environmental conditions and stressful situations. There are several different ways that skin ages, but with the passage of time, it is a result of senescent cells, nondividing cells that impair the flow of nutrients such as collagen and elastin to our skin’s epidermal layers, effectively slowing down skin regeneration, reducing elasticity, and causing the formation of wrinkles.     

The existence of these types of cells in our bodies is not new; they have been there ever since we were born. However, they only start affecting us as we mature and age. So it is easy for a biometric scanner as powerful as the Amazon one to learn all of this information as it maps out your palm.

So now that you know exactly what you’re dealing with, are you okay with Amazon having all this information? Is it a good idea? If it were me, I’d steer clear of the scanner and carry around a debit card. But hey, if you’re singing a different tune, that’s up to you. Still, the question remains, is it really worth it for something to be built for the sake of continuous modernization, perhaps not realizing if it’s actually a necessary and positive development.