Facebook will soon let users log into their accounts if they get locked out. According to TechCrunch, the social media giant is currently testing the feature in their mobile apps which will let users log into their profiles by using facial recognition, similar to what’s available for unlocking your actual phone like on the Samsung Galaxy S8, iPhone X, and LG V30.
Face recognition could be helpful where cell service is weak.
The new unlocking method could one day become an alternative to two-factor authentication. At the present time, to make your account more secure, Facebook lets users connect their phone number and punch in a code texted to them after typing in their password. Such a feature doesn’t work, however, in areas like on a plane or where cellular services are relatively weak. Therefore, requiring face login could prove to be convenient as a secondary authentication system where needed.
A statement from Facebook reads the following regarding the upcoming feature.
“We are testing a new feature for people who want to quickly and easily verify account ownership during the account recovery process. This optional feature is available only on devices you’ve already used to log in. It is another step, alongside two-factor authentication via SMS, that were taking to make sure account owners can confirm their identity.”
If you recall, Facebook has a history of facial recognition technologies being pretty reliable. Back in April, the company began automatically tagging you and others in photos which looked like had particular faces in them. In my testing, the system has been nothing short of reliable, so I’m sure the same will apply to their new facial recognition feature. Of course, it won’t be as secure as something like a password since it can be tricked with a picture, but where the feature will be used, it probably won’t matter because it’ll be so convenient.
Currently, there’s no word on when/if Facebook will implement this system. It could happen soon, however, since the feature is popping up for a few users at the moment.
NEW! Facebook working on a facial recognition feature to help secure your account
h/t Devesh Logendran pic.twitter.com/demol4dKj1
— Matt Navarra ⭐️ (@MattNavarra) September 29, 2017
More photos of Facebook’s new Face Recognition feature setup
h/t @wongmjane pic.twitter.com/dJkN3QGTIa
— Matt Navarra ⭐️ (@MattNavarra) October 1, 2017
You must log in to post a comment.