Facebook: facial recognition could help users recover their account - as Meta runs trial

• Facebook is trailing new ways of using facial recognition technology. 
• It could be used to help you recover your account if you forget the password. 
• Users would upload a video selfie to verify their identity - but Meta promises security measures will be in place. 

Getting locked out of your Facebook account can be a massive inconvenience. Whether you have simply forgotten the password or have been tricked by devious scammers. 

Meta have announced that they are trialling a new video ID method as a way to recover your account. It is part of a wave of plans the social media giant has announced to utilise facial recognition technology to improve its services. 

As I reported last week, Facebook is starting to use this tech in a bid to crack down on so-called ‘celeb-bait’ ads. These are scams where criminals use the faces of celebrities and well-known people to lure in potential victims. 

How do you recover your Facebook account now? 

Currently, if you lose access to your Facebook or Instagram account you may need to verify your identity to get it back. You could have forgotten the password, lost your device or been tricked into turning your password over to a scammer. 

If Meta thinks an account has been compromised, they require the account holder to verify their identity before regaining access by uploading an official ID or an official certificate that includes their name. 

What is Facebook trialling? 

In a statement on its website, a spokesperson for Meta explained: “We’re now testing video selfies as a means for people to verify their identity and regain access to compromised accounts. The user will upload a video selfie and we’ll use facial recognition technology to compare the selfie to the profile pictures on the account they’re trying to access. 

“This is similar to identity verification tools you might already use to unlock your phone or access other apps.” 

How secure is the Video ID? 

According to Meta, as soon as someone uploads a video selfie for ID verification it will be encrypted and stored securely. The company also claims the video will be deleted once the user's identity has been confirmed. 

A spokesperson for Meta added: “It will never be visible on their profile, to friends or to other people on Facebook or Instagram. We immediately delete any facial data generated after this comparison regardless of whether there’s a match 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.” 

Would you use this video ID method to gain access to your Facebook account? Share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected].