Face Verification – Everything You Need To Know

Face verification is a security technology that ensures the authenticity of a person by comparing his/her face to a stored image in the database. So in simple words, it is a form of biometric authentication that uses an individual’s facial characteristics.

Now that we have discussed the main idea of online face verification, let’s try to understand its different types with examples.

Types of Face Verification

When it comes to face verification, there are different types, not based on the functionality but rather on the various forms of algorithms that are used to attain the same goal. So these algorithms can be segmented into three diverse methodologies;

Feature-based matching:

In this approach, the focus is on identifying specific facial features. These features are compared with their measurements and positions. For instance, the distance between the eyes or the shape of the jawline including the facial thirds are analyzed.

Holistic Matching:

As the word suggests, the approach is holistic. The entire face as a whole is taken and then compared with the visual pattern. The image of your entire face is taken and then compared with the stored image rather than picking out a particular feature.

Hybrid Matching:

In the hybrid form, both the elements of feature-based and holistic matching are combined. So what it does is that it extracts the key features but at the same time considers the overall face image as well This leads to a more robust face verification system.

Practical Examples

Many industries apply face verification systems to ensure security. Here are some major areas;

Security and Law Enforcement

Organizations utilize face verification online to restrict access to secure areas. For example, a lab might use a facial scan to enter a restricted zone or data center. Moreover, border security uses face verification to compare passengers to their passport photos. This speeds up security checks and reduces reliance on any sort of physical documents.

Financial Services

The banking sector often utilizes facial verification for secure mobile banking. Moreover, ATM withdrawals can be made more secure by using face recognition such as a selfie instead of a debit card pin to access their cash. Financial institutions also use online face verification amid online transactions to confirm their user’s identity so that unauthorized access to accounts can be prevented.

Retail Sector

The retail sector can utilize face verification systems at the self-checkout booths or kiosks in order to confirm the customer’s identity prior to finalizing a purchase. Moreover, many high-end stores need to use face detection to deal with their VIP clients. This gives them the opportunity to offer a more personalized service to that segment of the clientele.

Healthcare

The healthcare sector can use face verification systems to control access to patient records. This allows them to manage their prescription drug dispensing safely.

Gaming Industry

Many online gaming platforms use face verification to ascertain users are of legal age. Moreover, this prevents underage access to such sites as well.

Face Verification vs Face Recognition

Sometimes the terms face verification and face recognition are used interchangeably but there is a slight difference between them when it comes to their purpose, working mechanism, and scope.

Goal:

The main difference is that face verification is like a “yes or no” system that is used for identity. It ensures that the face in a live image matches the specific stored image in the database. For instance, unlocking your mobile phone with your face uses face detection to confirm it’s you.

On the other hand, face recognition aims to identify an unknown person by comparing their face against a large database of faces. It aims to search for the right picture among many possibilities. In simple terms, think of it as finding a friend in a large group of people.

Working Processes:

The face verification system goes through the following processes;

•  An image is captured and then stored in the system.
• Whenever you need access, the system will require your photo and then extract key facial features from the picture stored earlier.
• It will then match the facial features, like the facial thirds or the shape of the jawline.
• If there is a sufficient match, access is granted; meaning the phone unlocks or the door opens.

The face recognition system goes through the following steps:

• The first step involves compiling a large database of faces that contains images of known individuals.
• A live image is taken and facial features are extracted.
• The features are then compared against all the faces in the database.
• The system searches for the closest match and then identifies the person.

Conclusion

Conclusively, face verification is a powerful tool that can ameliorate security and ensure a safe onboarding process. This methodology has its shortcomings but it is widely utilized to diminish the probability of identity fraud and also ascertain regulatory compliance.