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If you’ve unlocked an iPhone with FaceID, you’ve used facial biometric technology. So, why does this phrase make people uncomfortable? Like sci-fi movies Minority reports Are we afraid of being bombarded by targeted advertisements as we walk down the street? Or do we fear that facial recognition could be used as an “ex-crime” identification or as an alternative to big brother government surveillance? Probably not.
As a new technology, facial biometrics prompts logical concerns about how they can be used and how they can affect the privacy of the average person. Such concerns are valid, but often lead to misunderstandings about how biometrics work and the specific applications they play.
Biometrics is the measurement and statistical analysis of a person’s unique physical and behavioral characteristics. Words refer to the ways in which a person’s identity is based on them Are, Instead of what they have (e.g., the card) and what they know (e.g., entering historical data based on the person’s name or social security number, or entering a passphrase or password). Biometric authentication verifies your identity on some unique basis about you.
The first step in protecting your identity and keeping your privacy intact is to understand the different forms of facial recognition and biometrics, detailed below.
Related: The importance of having the right facial recognition
Facial Biometrics: Recognition vs. Certification
Facial biometrics is a broad umbrella term that encompasses both facial recognition and facial authentication. Facial biometrics refers to the modes of identity verification based on your face. For example, showing your face only unlocks your iPhone. In other applications, your on-the-spot selfie matches a previously uploaded copy of your government ID to access your bank account or previously authenticated selfie images.
With the advancement of technology, the day is coming when your face not only unlocks your device but also proves your identity quickly and effectively for the most sensitive online transactions. Two types of facial biometrics are currently in use:
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Facial recognition “One to many” depends on the match. This form of biometric technology has various law enforcement applications; Police are used, for example, to search for matches for potential witnesses or to identify suspicious faces in crowds of people or in a sea of online photos. Facial identification often raises privacy concerns – perhaps for fear of authoritarian attempts to create large databases of individuals’ faces or “social credit scores”. Therefore, it is important to understand this technique to reduce fear.
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Facial authentication Critically different from recognition: it’s a “one-to-one” matching technique. Facial authentication matches a person’s face with a previously verified image from a reliable source, such as a government ID or a previously enrolled and authenticated biometric selfie. Think about how your face will unlock your phone multiple times per day or give your face access to your online bank account to confirm your identity or confirm a purchase or account change.
Related: Technology can be used by consumers to fight fraud
Use facial biometrics and win
This new technology has already enjoyed many exciting breakthroughs in a growing number of used cases. For example, many law enforcement agencies have used video surveillance on facial recognition as well as identifying missing persons to catch a variety of bad actors. In Europe, widespread use of CCTV systems has led to further adoption and debate on the use of face recognition technology by law enforcement agencies across the continent. In both Europe and the United States, facial recognition has provided strong evidence that the technology is a key tool in public safety, to the extent that it has helped solve trafficking, counterterrorism and other crimes.
Additionally, face authentication has demonstrated its exciting ability to enable customers to purchase strong identity authentication for businesses that are easy to use. Face authentication can make online transactions completely secure, making it an important tool for reducing the increasingly high business costs associated with identity theft or fraud.
Facial biometrics can also be a great asset in underwriting. This is a streamlined and highly accurate way to evaluate and validate claims as well as create more secure initial underwriting transactions. Companies can verify that there are some who say they start with a person’s unique face: no fingerprints, voice or other means are required. The rise of friendly fraud increases the importance of underwriting. In friendly fraud, customers who are not career criminals exploit the business by claiming that they did not make purchases, account changes, etc. An example of this is the first-party misuse of chargebacks. Using biometric authentication at the time of purchase is a great protection against this growing fraud.
Other advances in facial biometrics also help prevent spoofing, such as taking selfies and finding vitality. Today, most modern face authentication systems can detect whether an image is real or fake at the point of capture. This technique, when applied correctly, can prevent bad actors from using photos, face masks, or deep fake videos to authenticate sensitive information, such as bank accounts. Anti-spoofing technology can detect safe and accurate vitality with 3D or 2D cameras.
Biometrics is a win-win for customers and businesses, who now have a powerful tool to prevent fraud and ensure users have a streamlined, secure online experience by eliminating the need to remember dozens of passwords.
Related: How Biometric Solutions Are Shaping Workplace Safety
The fears and realities on your face
Despite success and experimentation cases, fear remains. Whether we like it or not, our selfies, and so our faces are everywhere in the growing digital world. Your face, with all its complexity and uniqueness, is also your most valuable password. While this can be an incredibly powerful tool for fraud prevention, you need to be aware of the real dangers involved in its misuse or poor construction.
First, not all facial biometric technologies are properly or effectively developed. For example, bias can be a problem. According to the NIST, the current algorithmic rates of false denials when verifying certain groups on the basis of race, age and gender may impede its accuracy, or raise fears that the technology may be misused for marginalized groups. Bias in facial biometrics can and potentially destroy the bottom line of business and its credibility. However, recent advances in facial recognition technology have led to continuous improvements. For example, the best algorithms arrived at the correct answer more than 99% of the time, with most of the remaining errors due to aging or injuries between image captures.
Additionally, privacy is another constant concern. While technological advances have greatly reduced the risk of false positives and increased the accuracy of the technology, privacy issues have led to legislation banning most public and private uses of face recognition technology in U.S. cities such as Portland and Baltimore. These restrictions sought to reduce the fear of mass surveillance by preventing the heavy use of facial recognition. But the best way to strike a balance between the citizen and the police is to have a continuous discussion.
Related: 5 Basics to Protect Your Identity and Privacy
Be careful, don’t be afraid
Fortunately, the average person has many tools to protect their data and privacy. First, read the good impression. Pay close attention to what companies want to do after capturing your data; Sometimes, fine-print clauses, once you sign off, allow them to use your data for marketing.
Additionally, you can use a digital identity wallet to secure your data instead of trusting third parties. This is a safe, easy way to make a clear choice of what data to share with a company or individual.
With proper protection and usage, facial biometrics is an important tool for identity verification in many usage cases. Importantly, businesses should be careful about the technology they choose for facial biometrics – not all technologies have the same level of bias or the same protections for spoofing.
One of the oldest ways people get to know each other is through their faces. Emerging face biometric technologies allow us to embrace the digital revolution by taking advantage of this traditional social belief practice. Technological advances mean that accuracy is improving and the incidence of fraud is decreasing. While both the general public and businesses need to consider a variety of security and best practices to protect information and privacy, Facial Biometrics carries the power to simultaneously improve user experience, customer safety and business operations.