Amazon’s latest patent filing reveals a rather unique anonymous mobile payment solution. The system detailed in the patent would allow transactions without having to submit personal details such as email addresses or names. It would use temporary identifiers, much like Western Union does. Two people who use this system for transactions would have to be registered with the same intermediary payments provider, the system will generate a special code which can then be redeemed.
Amazon says in the patent that most people do not like to give out personal details because it could potentially lead to spamming or data theft. Their system uses temporary tokens that can easily be exchanged between the sender who is triggering the payment or the receiver who is requesting it. The patent also describes how limitations on these codes can be placed. Expiration dates can be set on them so that they have to be redeemed within a specific period of time, or a code can be made valid for multiple payments. This system sounds good in theory, but as is the case with all technologies detailed in patents, we can’t really be sure if they’ll ever see the light of day.
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