PIN numbers and passwords could be superceded by facial recognition security software on mobile phones. The University of Manchester have developed software that uses front facing cameras in phones to detect the face, localise on specific facial features then pass details to a recognition module in the software. This enables phones to be unlocked but will it stop phone theft?
To consider this a number of important factors come into play.
Can a recovered lost or stolen phone be identified?
If a mobile phone can be identified after being lost or stolen and is in the possession of someone who is not the owner, this is a criminal offence. This is a powerful theft deterent whether the phone is locked or not. Like a PIN code the facial recognition software may stop phones from being used however are not so strong at linking phones to crimes or owners i.e. police may discover a stolen phone but may never identify who it belongs to.
Hacking
What happens if the software does not recognise the owner’s face e.g. due to a camera or operating system problem? Usually manual workarounds are employed such as soft or hard reboots in order to gain acess to the phone. Or software could be employed to hack the program. If this is the case phone security is severly compromised.
Deterents
At what point will the facial recognition software on a stolen phone act as a deterent to a would-be thief? How likely is the thief test the phone before stealing it? Or are blatent overt security warnings required?
If there is a lack of phone identification or hacking/reboots is possible then even overt warnings are a less effective deterent.
The answer – add a product such as enigmaTAG
Using facial recognition software as security is an interesting technological step forward.
Combining the facial recognition software with an effective property protection solution however such as enigmaTAG makes more sense. It makes the phone more secure, less likely to be stolen and enables richer phone functionality through using the facial recognition software.
