New Ways to Prove Your I.D.

The days of PINs and passwords are numbered as more companies embrace futuristic identification software designed to combine practicality with protection.

Delta Air Lines has started testing facial recognition technology at a self-service bag drop in the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. Passengers will check in with the airline and check their luggage at a kiosk that scans their passport photo and their face to confirm that the two match. If they do, off go the bags to the plane. Delta will analyze customer feedback from the trial before using the scanners in other airports.

MasterCard is testing credit cards with built-in fingerprint scanners that add a layer of biometric security when you’re shopping. When making a purchase, cardholders will place a thumb on the card’s scanner, located in the top right corner of the card, to verify their identity. Customers who scan won’t have to enter a passcode. MasterCard says it is aiming for a consumer rollout sometime this year.

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Vanguard, the investment giant, introduced a voice verification service in 2010. When a customer who has signed up for the service calls Vanguard, the system compares the voice on the phone to a recording on file. A match acts as the key that unlocks the customer’s account.