Google introduces selfie video sign-in feature: for easier, more secure way to access account

Google has introduced a new feature which will allow users to log-in to their account in a much more secure and efficient way – that is through video sign-in.

With this, an account holder has to look at their device’s camera and complete a few, guided head movements to capture multiple angles in order to access account.

If having trouble signing in later, the user needs to take another selfie to get back into the account. The selfie would then be used to compare to the video which was earlier set up to confirm the identity of the user.

The company has said that the video recording is securely stored in your account with consent and can be deleted anytime. This is encrypted at rest, which means it is securely stored even when not being used.

“When you use a selfie to sign in, we use multiple layers of security to help prevent impersonation attempts like fake photos and videos (i.e., deep fakes). For example, we match your video against your saved selfie and require you to perform simple movements to prove it’s a live video,” Google has said in a statement.

They said, they are using standard security practices to detect and help prevent suspicious sign-in attempts. This is in addition to their other secure sign-in options such as passkeys and recovery contacts.

Google accounts usually hold lots of information and date about a user – including photos, documents, e-mails.

Source: Google