Selfies Are Starting To Replace Passwords As A Form Of Identification

Front facing cameras also known as selfie cameras all started out as just secondary cameras with just 1mp or 2mp with low quality picture output. But along the years, a lot of improvement has gone into the selfie cameras by phone manufacturers that you can now shoot better looking selfies or videos with a wide range and great quality using the front facing camera. Now companies are starting to adapt selfies as a form of identity in replacement of the traditional password. Example of such companies are MasterCard and Uber. 

MasterCard recently launched an app known as Identity Check Mobile. With the app, any customer trying to perform an online transaction with their credit card can easily verify their identity just by looking at the front facing camera of their smartphone. As an added security feature, users are also expected to blink so as to prevent anyone from using a still photo.  All pictures taken by the MasterCard customers are been stored in a server until it's been encrypted after which it will be deleted. The program has already started in Europe, and 92% of the customers participating say that they want to login to mobile banking apps by using biometrics instead of using a password.  

Another company taking advantage of the front facing camera is Uber. The company is now asking the drivers to take a selfie before accepting a new fare through an app which is made available to Uber drivers only. The picture which goes through Microsoft’s cloud-based Cognitive Services software tool uses an algorithm to match the selfie with pictures on file. Although some of the pictures taken are not actually good ones but Uber was still able to verify 99% of the selfies sent in by its drivers.  

How the system identification works is that any taken picture is been converted into series of algorithms which is based on certain measurements of parts of a person's face. Such as size of the nose, jaw etc. and the generated code is been converted into an ID. Although this system isn't perfected yet but it's actually going through a series of improvements.