Mastercard has started rolling out a new technology that could allow customers to make purchases online by taking selfies rather than entering passwords. The technology, called MasterCard Identity Check, will enable shoppers to pay simply by placing a finger on a scanner on their smartphone, or taking a selfie to prove their identity.MasterCard said the system could eliminate the need to remember passwords when shopping online."Facial recognition is not new, but in the past the technology was not robust enough. We do need to ensure the customer experience is outstanding," said Ajay Bhalla, president of enterprise security solutions at MasterCard."Selfies are cool at the moment, so I think that's the one that will take off. But we are in 210 countries, so giving a choice of face, finger or voice will cater to various tastes around the world," he said.More than half of internet users want passwords replaced by something more convenient. On average, they have to enter passwords eight times a day for different online accounts or applications they use regularly.MasterCard Identity Check will first be available to finance houses in the US, by mid-2016, followed by a global rollout in 2017.MasterCard sees biometrics as the future state for online authentication.But Bhalla admitted MasterCard would need to continue supporting legacy authentication technologies for some time."I think it will take three to five years for passwords to die out. Any new technology takes time to go global, but in the developed world, which is so consumer-friendly, the take-up and adoption rate will be much higher than you've seen in other technologies," he said. ..