Meta begins testing facial recognition for account recovery

Meta announced it has begun testing the use of facial recognition technology to quickly recover accounts and to assist in cases of account hacking or concerns about the misuse of the user's image.

The new technology developed will be used primarily in cases of account breaches to help individuals regain access to their accounts. 

Currently, when Meta suspects an account has been hacked, it requires the account owner to verify their identity by uploading an official document containing their name. Meta has now announced that it will test the use of video selfies as a means for people to verify their identity and regain access to their accounts.

In addition, the technology will be used in instances in which Meta's systems suspect that an ad or promotion may be a scam containing an image of a public figure. In such cases, the company will attempt to use facial recognition technology to compare the faces in the ad with the original profile pictures on Facebook and Instagram.

"Scammers often try to use images of public figures, such as content creators or celebrities, to bait people into engaging with ads that lead to scam websites, where they are asked to share personal information or send money. This scheme, commonly called 'celeb-bait,' violates our policies and is bad for people that use our products," Meta said in a statement. 

"If our systems suspect that an ad may be a scam that contains the image of a public figure at risk for celeb-bait, we will try to use facial recognition technology to compare faces in the ad to the public figure’s Facebook and Instagram profile pictures. If we confirm a match and determine the ad is a scam, we’ll block it. We immediately delete any facial data generated from ads for this one-time comparison, regardless of whether our system finds a match, and we don’t use it for any other purpose," the company added. 

Meta has already begun testing the technology among a small group of celebrities and public figures, showing promising results, according to the company, in increasing the speed and efficiency of identifying and enforcing policies against fraud. 

In the coming weeks, Meta is expected to start displaying in-app messages to a larger group of public figures who have been affected by such scams, informing them that they are included under this protection. However, public figures covered by this protection will be able to withdraw their consent at any time through their account.

Meta explained that the company received many requests from users who forgot their passwords, lost their devices, or were victims of scams that led them to give away their passwords. If Meta believes an account has been hacked, it requires the account owner to verify their identity before regaining access by uploading an identification document or an official document that includes their name.

The company will now examine selfie videos as a means for individuals to verify their identity and regain access to hacked accounts. Meta will use facial recognition technology to compare the selfie to the profile pictures on the account they are trying to access similarly to the identity verification process used to unlock a phone or access other applications.

'Harder for hackers to abuse'

When someone uploads a video selfie, it will be encrypted and stored securely, and will not be visible on their profile, to friends, or to others on Facebook or Instagram. Meta added that it will immediately delete any facial data generated after this comparison, regardless of whether a match is found or not.

"Video selfie verification expands on the options for people to regain account access, only takes a minute to complete and is the easiest way for people to verify their identity. While we know hackers will keep trying to exploit account recovery tools, this verification method will ultimately be harder for hackers to abuse than traditional document-based identity verification," Meta noted.