Amazon Introduces Scary Palm-Reading Checkout Technology

In another case of the world moving closer to 1984, Amazon is bringing its palm-scanning device to Whole Foods.

It seems innocent enough and maybe even fun ... until you consider the potential long-term impact. Imagine one of these in every store, able to read everything about a person making purchase.

For now, the technology is designed to let shoppers pay by scanning their palm print and will be limited to a few Whole Foods stores in Seattle. But plans are for it to expand. And who knows? Maybe our bodies will eventually need bar codes to buy food.

"The technology, called Amazon One, works by scanning a palm print and connecting it to a credit card," explained the undoubtedly supportive Washington Post. "After that, a shopper holds their palm above a sensor to pay for groceries or books."

Sure, it sounds like a cool idea. And it may be a totally innocent way to try to speed up the checkout process.

But given Amazon's support of the far left, well, this could be the scary start to something that encourages everyone to act in accordance with the company.

"The introduction of the palm-scanning technology is part of Amazon’s push to make shopping in real life more like buying things with one click online — a method that retail analysts call reducing friction and that typically results in customers spending more," the Post reported.

It is also expected to provide data on how people shop and browse. Let's just hope it doesn't also tell Amazon where we live, whether we've been vaccinated or how we vote before we're allowed to make a purchase.

Written by
Sam Amico spent 15 years covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports and NBA.com, along with a few other spots, and currently runs his own basketball website on the side, FortyEightMinutes.com.