back to article PayPal founder sets up mobile payment service verified by FACEBOOK

PayPal co-founder Max Levchin has launched his new payments startup, Affirm, to fight it out in the rapidly expanding arena of mobile payments. The new firm will use customers' Facebook accounts to authenticate their identity, allowing them to buy stuff on their mobes with just two taps. "Affirm brings two-tap checkout to any …

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  1. Neil Barnes Silver badge

    That should work well

    for those who don't use facebook...

  2. Andrew Moore

    Mobile Payments? Facebook?

    Well, I can't see any way this might go wrong...

  3. El Presidente
    Childcatcher

    PayPal, Facebook, Google+ Twitter et al

    Should not be able to operate on the web until Paypal, Facebook, Google+ Twitter et al have a one click 'DISASSOCIATE ME FROM YOUR INSIDIOUS DATA MINING AND TRACKING WEB2OREHEA' button, backed by open source levels of transparency and *massive* business damaging multi billion pound fines for any breaches of trust.

    1. Andy Fletcher

      Re: PayPal, Facebook, Google+ Twitter et al

      You have got to be joking. Insidious as the activities of some/all of the companies on your list are they do at least have clear motives. They want to make money. And you have a choice as to whether to use their services. I'd simply suggest you exercise it.

      1. El Presidente
        Facepalm

        Re: PayPal, Facebook, Google+ Twitter et al

        " Insidious as the activities of some/all of the companies on your list are"

        So, you agree. They are insidious.

  4. Tom Wood

    Oh hello...

    you just reinvented the credit card:

    "Affirm gets away with using such basic info and security by paying for the goods for the shopper and then giving them 30 days, interest-free"

    Credit cards used to just require a 16 digit number and an expiry date, and some sort of handwritten scrawl which may or may not have been your signature.

    That didn't work out too well from a security point of view, so they added various extra layers of security.

    What goes around comes around, I guess.

  5. Atonnis
    Devil

    Facebook?

    So what is the betting that they 'forget' to put an option to not have it post your purchases onto your Facebook profile, or put the option at the very bottom of the page under one of those little arrows that opens up more of a paragraph - the place where nobody scrolls or looks to, and then makes sure that the page on phones looks like it's complete so that you don't need to scroll down to find the options that might protect your privacy...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Facebook?

      "Colin has just purchased a large black butt-plug from Dave's Dildo Emporium

      Come to Dave's Dildo Emporium, where all your orders will be discreetly delivered in unmarked brown packaging."

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Facebook?

        _D_ave's _D_ildo _E_mporium, eigh?

        Ah. I see. I've always wondered what a .DDE was

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Facebook?

          Yep, the original plug in DDE connection

    2. silent_count

      Re: Facebook?

      "your Facebook profile"

      " protect your privacy"

      "your Facebook profile"

      " protect your privacy"

      "your Facebook profile"

      " protect your privacy"

      Please carefully study the above until you spot the problem.

  6. Khaptain Silver badge
    FAIL

    A vetted security system - Facebook

    Since when did Facebook authentication posses any weight ?.....

    As far as I remember you only need an email address, active on that day, in order to create a FB account....

    The scenarios are probably already in the creation :

    1 : Purchase a multitude of cheap domain address......

    2 : Create thousands of FB accounts using newly created email addresses which are managed on a "dodgy" server within an obscure country.

    3 : Enter stolen credit card details into aformentioned FB accounts.

    4 : Start buying a plenty or whenever required.

    5 : Suppression of email server and email accounts.

    6 : Goto step 1 or 2 according to stock.

    Facebook is by no means a gauge of security or of existance....... it's just another middle man who will eventually want/require to be paid...

  7. adnim

    My cat

    has a Facebook account.

    He'll likely be pleased at the ease with which he can now order catnip online.

  8. Barry Rueger

    Just a guess

    But this new and improved pay by bonk technology will turn out to be a) a pain in the arse for consumers and b) no impediment whatsover to crooks.

    As for mating PayPal with Facebook? Yeah, right, I'm so gonna buy into that!

  9. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge
    Trollface

    Fine now

    I've always considered PayPal to be unsafe for transactions because it's lacking consumer protections. Partnering with a good solid system like Facebook solves all of that.

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