“In iOS 8, Apple has a new feature in Safari that allows users to scan a credit card with the device’s camera rather than manually entering the number when making a purchase online,” Jordan Kahn reports for 9to5Mac.
“Safari already allowed users to quickly select credit cards stored in its Passwords & AutoFill settings,” Kahn reports. “You can still do that, but in iOS 8 you’ll now also have the option to select “Scan Credit Card” and snap a picture of the card.”
“Apple then uses optical character recognition of sorts to input the number into the text field in Safari,” Kahn reports. “There’s also a way to scan and save cards using the camera directly from within the Passwords & AutoFill settings.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Arline M.” for the heads up.]
And that can’t POSSIBLY be used for nefarious purposes.
Either it is not my day, or it is very difficult to come up with any possible scenario for abuse / misuse of this.
In all fairness, the practical usability of it is also somewhat limited; when you buy stuff online on you mobile device, 19 out of 20 times, you’ll do it on the dedicated app, and not in Safari (which means the card scanning part won’t work).
Maybe you do it this way but that is not universal. I never buy anything in a dedicated app (would I really want to install something written by Walmart or Target or Nordstrom’s Ukrainian programming team?), so I’d use this credit card feature fairly often.
This isn’t a new security threat. You can already type in your credit card number in just about any e-commerce web site. If you’re a hacker, wouldn’t it be easier, and present a larger target, to subvert text entry than subvert this scanning feature?
I’m definitely going to ask that young person who brings me the check at a restaurant to scan my card at the table rather than carry it back to some dark room where I can’t see it !
But this new iOS 8 feature is no more nefarious than the methods crooks have been using for decades.
Better yet, merchants can advertise the fact that they support iWallet do I never have to let my physical credit card out of my sight.
I’m nervous people walking by with their video on to take my credit card on a table. I’m always turning my card over but cashiers always face it up. Fraud is fraud.
My credit union has check deposit using the iPhone camera; slick.
Mine too; works great, and saves time and gas.
All my banks do.
Keep finding cool new uses for that little camera.