Facebook and Instagram now use facial video comparison with profile pictures to verify and return accounts to users within a minute.
Meta announced it is testing a self-recorded video verification method to help recover accounts.
Users may lose access to their Facebook or Instagram accounts due to forgotten passwords, lost devices, or accidentally giving passwords to scammers. Previously, these platforms required identity verification by sending identification documents or certificates with the account holder’s name. With the new method, Meta says users can upload a self-recorded facial video, which will then be compared with the profile pictures previously uploaded by the user.
According to Meta, this method is similar to identity verification tools used in phone unlocking or accessing applications requiring eKYC.
Meta claims this is a “simple, fast option, as the entire verification process takes just one minute.” Additionally, this new method is said to be harder to exploit than traditional document verification.
However, there are concerns about this approach, as Facebook was previously fined $1.4 billion by a U.S. court for collecting facial data for its photo tag suggestion feature.
Meta states that the selfie video data is “encrypted and stored securely.” “Meta will delete facial data immediately after completing the comparison process, whether or not there is a match,” the platform affirms.
Meta says it “aims to protect users and their accounts, even though the results may not always be perfect.” Scammers constantly adapt their tactics to evade detection methods and tools, requiring the platform to continually develop and test new technical measures.
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