From Futurism · Frank Landymore · · 1m 20s
Google wants your face to sign in
Google is pushing video selfies as a standard way to verify your identity online, raising major privacy concerns.
In brief
Google is pushing video selfies as a standard way to verify your identity online, raising major privacy concerns. Google is collecting facial data from users under the guise of convenience, while also using it to improve age verification and facial recognition across all its services. Originally reported by Futurism.
Google rolls out video selfie sign-in
Starting this week, Google is asking users to record a short video of their face from different angles to verify their identity and sign into accounts.
“you just take another selfie to get back into your account”
The feature is optional, for now
Google first announced the feature in July as an optional way to regain access if you're locked out. Now it's pushing the feature on its homepage with a prompt to "sign in with a selfie."
Google will use your face for more
Beyond identity verification, Google says your video selfie will determine if you're old enough to use certain services and can be used to improve facial recognition and age estimation across all Google services.
“improve our facial recognition, age estimation, and other verification methods”
Privacy risks are significant
Google already collects massive amounts of behavioral data on billions of users. Adding facial maps concentrates even more of your personal identity with a single company.
Deepfakes pose a security threat
As AI deepfake technology becomes more convincing and accessible, it's unclear how well facial recognition systems can defend against spoofing attempts.
What matters most
Google is collecting facial data from users under the guise of convenience, while also using it to improve age verification and facial recognition across all its services.
