Google Adds Selfie-Video Sign-In | Fallback for Locked-Out Users, Also Serves Age Verification
TL;DR
Google added selfie-video sign-in as an alternative for users locked out due to lost devices or forgotten passwords, doubling as an age verification building block.
Google announced a new selfie-video sign-in feature, offering an alternative for users who cannot log in due to lost devices or forgotten passwords. Google parent Alphabet's blog post described the process: users set up their selfie video via a short online setup flow that includes several guided head movements, letting the device camera capture multiple facial angles.
The saved recordings are then compared with live video submitted at subsequent sign-in attempts. Technically this combines 3D facial features with liveness detection — more resistant to photo spoofing than plain selfies, more resistant to replay attacks than voice-only.
Google has been testing various verification methods with uses beyond account sign-in. For example, it works with third-party Private ID to confirm user age via selfie verification, ensuring access to age-restricted content — a direct fit for the age verification laws US states have recently passed for adult sites. Google is turning verification capability into infrastructure and selling it to the compliance side.
via Bloomberg
The saved recordings are then compared with live video submitted at subsequent sign-in attempts. Technically this combines 3D facial features with liveness detection — more resistant to photo spoofing than plain selfies, more resistant to replay attacks than voice-only.
Google has been testing various verification methods with uses beyond account sign-in. For example, it works with third-party Private ID to confirm user age via selfie verification, ensuring access to age-restricted content — a direct fit for the age verification laws US states have recently passed for adult sites. Google is turning verification capability into infrastructure and selling it to the compliance side.
via Bloomberg
