Modern system authentication has evolved and moved on from the conventional mechanism of remembering increasingly long and complex passwords or PIN codes to be able to access your accounts and systems. These passwords were dependent on the technical knowledge and memory retention capability of the user for how secure they would be.
Nowadays, a face check ID provides a method of authentication that is much more secure, faster, and of course, with little to no chance of mistake from the individual. But where does it stand compared to other biometric authentication methods?
To be able to see how a face ID check compares to other biometric authentication mechanisms, we need to know how this system works in the first place.
As you can tell from the name, this kind of system works by analyzing, measuring, and comparing various facial features, like the eyes and the distance between them the shape and size of the nose, the mouth, and so on.
The way this system works is by utilizing modern artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. A process called deep learning allows the system to learn what facial features look like by training with large datasets of faces with their features marked.
So, the system first detects a face inside of the frame by detecting its features and separates it from the background. Then, the software will extract the facial features and use them to create a digital representation of the face, representing each feature using a set of numerical values. This allows it to create a digital facial template, which is something that the system can work with and analyze.
Now, the system will compare this template with other previously created and saved facial templates of authorized individuals, to see if it matches with any of them, and will subsequently either allow or reject access to the system.
Now that you know how face ID verification works, let’s talk about other common methods of biometrically verifying your identity and how face recognition compares with them.
Let’s start off with the most common and popular form of biometric authentication that exists right now, using your fingerprint. This method of course scans the unique patterns formed on each person’s fingers and uses that to identify you.First off, this method is much more personally invasive compared to photo ID check, as it requires you to place your finger on a scanner that has been touched by potentially hundreds of people before you.In terms of speed, while fingerprint scanning used to be faster, nowadays facial scanning technology has advanced to the point where they are both extremely fast and of comparable speed. Both are also very comparable when it comes to ease of use, but if active liveness is integrated into the facial system, then fingerprint might slightly take the edge.
One of the lesser-used forms of biometric authentication, voice recognition utilizes the unique characteristics of your voice including pitch, tone, and even your cadence. Some advanced systems also combine speech recognition capabilities for more accurate authentication procedures.
The system, unlike fingerprint scanning, is very comparable to facial recognition in that they are both non-invasive, as neither requires you to physically touch the system. But such a system might require you to be much closer to the scanning mechanism to properly capture your voice than a facial recognition system.
Compared to most other authentication systems, voice recognition tends to be less reliable, as your voice can often change due to illnesses, tiredness, and other factors. Compared to this most facial recognition systems can account for minor changes in your face.This method also tends to be much more prone to spoofing, as high-quality audio recordings or audio deepfakes can trick the system into providing you access. Compare this to facial recognition where modern systems specially implement liveness detection to prevent spoofing attacks.
While some people think of it as an extension of facial scanning, iris scan is used as an independent biometric authentication mechanism in many secure facilities and installations, especially military and government buildings.
This system uses infrared light to scan the colored part of your eye to find the unique patterns that form inside of it. These patterns are unique to every individual and are not even shared amongst identical twins.
Iris scans are thought to have the highest level of accuracy to currently be found amongst biometric authentication systems, with 3D liveness-powered facial recognition right behind.
The ease of use of this kind of system is lower than you might think, as it requires the user to position their eye perfectly up close and in front of the sensor to work. It also does tend to be somewhat slower than other authentication methods.
The speed, ease of use, and diverse applicability of facial recognition make it a great all-around biometric authentication mechanism to use in a wide variety of systems and environments that require protection.