Amazon is trying to make palm-scanning a thing at venues, starting with Red Rocks

It’s almost been a year since Amazon first introduced its contactless payment system, Amazon One. The palm-reading technology, which has so far been exclusive to customers at Amazon Go and Whole Foods stores, will now be coming to the world of entertainment. In an announcement this morning, the tech giant outlined its first third-party partnership with the ticketing company, AXS, which will give people the ability to enter Red Rocks Amphitheatre using their palms.

Red Rocks, the famous event space in Denver, Colorado, will deploy ticketing pedestals that will give attendees the option to use Amazon One. This news comes on the heels of some other developments with the service, as Amazon seeks to make its contactless technology more widespread. Just last month you could exchange the details of your palm print for a $10 credit. I’m not sure if giving up your biometric data for that figure is worth it but I suppose there’s something to be said about convenience.

The introduction of Amazon One at this venue will be the first time the service has appeared outside Amazon and Whole Foods locations and is likely just the first domino to fall. As of today, the AXS entry option for Red Rocks is live, and according to Amazon is “expected to be added to more AXS ticketed venues in the future.” Some of the biggest arenas and event facilities work with AXS including Madison Square Garden in New York and the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Why should I trust this? — Well, you probably shouldn’t. Or you should at least look at the palm-reading technology with a degree of skepticism. Privacy is obviously a huge concern, considering Amazon has said that it will store palm prints indefinitely unless you choose to delete the data or if you don’t use the feature for two years. Again the ethical burden is placed on consumers, rather than the company providing the service in question.

Since there isn’t really money to be made with Amazon One, the service feels like an attempt to collect even more data on consumers. As Input’s Tom Maxwell pointed out, Amazon could collect data on a person that are linked to them forever, considering one can’t exactly change their palm print. It would make sense that the information gathered will eventually be sold to a third party.

While there is certainly a host of privacy issues surrounding this relatively new technology, it hasn’t really taken hold yet, considering Amazon has had to offer cash incentives for it. Even so, Amazon One’s adoption into the world of entertainment might make the service more appealing for some.