Google Introduces Selfie Video Sign-In for Secure Account Recovery
Selfie for sign-in: a new, easy way to access your Google Account
We are launching a new way to access your Google Account using a short selfie video. This feature helps you sign in if you are locked out or lack access to your usual devices. By recording guided head movements, you create a secure backup method that remains encrypted and under your control, ensuring your data stays private while preventing impersonation attempts.
Your selfie video is yours and you're in control. It is recorded and securely stored with your consent, and you can delete it at any time in your Google Account.
- trollbridge
Your Google Account holds a lot of valuable information, from cherished photos to important emails and documents.
Stuff like this is why I and many other people are going out of our way to make this no longer the case.
- Cider9986
>If you've violated a Google policy, we may save your selfie video for a longer period of time to enforce our policies.
- pzxc
- pudgywalsh
I'm waiting for the new killer feature where "Sign In With Google" popup overlay dialogs go away forever and never come back.
- mdp2021
Let us get this straight and clear, because at first reading it seems like an "innocent" extra option:
the risk we assess is that under some conditions the provider could block the account, and the user would remain locked out unless he had the ability to do camera-based verification, so camera-based verification becomes from just optional to substantially mandatory?
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Edit: elsewhere it seems it is mandated:
> To help keep you and others safe online, you may need to complete additional steps to access certain services. This extra confirmation helps us verify that the account owner is a real person and that the account wasn't created or used by computer programs or bots for the purpose of abuse, like spamming
Plus,
> To take a selfie [for "selfie video verification"], you'll need a mobile device with a Camera app
for many, it's a no.
- iosjunkie
I would love to know how they are going to handle deepfakes.
Also, doesn't this give law enforcement an easier avenue to compel access to someone's accounts?
- xnx
If there were a Doomsday Clock for how close we are to "please drink verification can" (https://files.catbox.moe/eqg0b2.png), scientists would now move it to 3 minutes to midnight.
- neuralkoi
Every time Google comes out with a new "feature" like this, it reminds me to resume my de-Googling journey with reinforced vigor. Drive and Photos are low-hanging fruit. GMail and YouTube will be more difficult.