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Facial Recognition gets “Hacked” Thanks to Facebook

  • August 22, 2016
  • 2 min read
Facial Recognition gets “Hacked” Thanks to Facebook

Facial recognition technology is utilized in many different systems. Biometric software is used in facial recognition tools for security purposes and other applications such as social media marketing. Algorithms use a statistical approach to identify facial features – and facial recognition is increasingly used as a crime-fighting tool. In the future it could be used to monitor employee attendance at work, to enhance security measures at ATMs and to prevent voter fraud. Many privacy advocates see a problem with this technology because it could quickly turn us into a surveillance society.

University of North Carolina researchers have discovered a way to get around facial recognition security. By using a virtual reality (VR) system to develop 3D models of the face, they were able to trick the biometric security measures. They did this with just a handful of photos found on Facebook and were able to fool the systems more than half the time (Newsweek).

Clearly this is a huge security flaw in the technology which means other types of “verifiable data” would need to be used for authentication in order for facial recognition to be a feasible option. One technique that could be used is the detection of infrared radiation which would be given off by a real face, not a 3D model (Techworm).

For more information on how facial recognition technologies work, check out this video from Brit Lab:

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1 Comment

  • Every input can be faked.
    Really secure is only an encryption already inside the human body with algorithms based on the password bits, changing passwords and 70% data transfer used to exchange tiled 3-time-pads.
    Ideally, information-storages only serve so much information per time in a defined order and automatically apply a changing encryption to outgoing data.

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