iPhone X: Full Frontal

By now, whether you’re an Apple fan or not, you’ve probably seen their slick ads touting the new iPhoneX and its Face ID feature. Why use the old pin code or password method, when you can simply look at your phone and have it unlock? If you’ve ever seen a spy movie or Tom Clancy-esque government thriller, you probably have some familiarity with biometric security, but is facial recognition the next evolution of mobile security or simply the latest fad?​

In an age when data breaches and identity theft are everyday news, most consumers are at least vaguely aware that they need to secure their personal data on the phones that carrying progressively larger portions of their lives. With the advent of mobile pay programs, some shoppers rarely carry their wallets, and online retailer apps such as Amazon store personal data for our shopping convenience. Our mobile devices have become a veritable gold mines to data thieves, making security a necessity for smart phone users.​

Apple, like so many consumer tech companies, has done a wonderful job of capitalizing on this concern, touting its new ‘Face ID’ security software. Claims include the ability to adapt to facial changes (“It can recognize you in the dark, or even if you grow a beard!”), avoid intrusion attempts, and a multi-point 3D analysis system to keep the phone from being fooled by a photograph. (Apple claims the chances that someone could fool the phone are 1 in a million.)

Why wouldn’t a potential customer want to purchase such a secure device!? “Fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, Bluetooth, geolocation and even a short PIN are all ways to simplify access not only for yourself, but also for a potential attacker,” said Leigh-Anne Galloway, cyber security resilience lead at Positive Technologies. Even if the technology cannot be fooled by photos it might be fooled by someone using a doctored video of you that they downloaded from social media. Experts have also voiced concerns about the data collected by Apple’s facial mapping. Other programs and organizations will no doubt have access to this data, potentially tracking consumer reactions to advertising, media, etc. Imagine a world where your facial data is used to create personalized advertising meant to trigger impulse buying, as in this memorable scene from the movie Minority Report.​

Bottom line: Facial recognition has the potential to offer greater levels of security, as well as many other potential benefits. Is the technology where it needs to be? Most experts agree that biometric technology needs more time to evolve before it is reliably secure. Is facial recognition worth the $900+ price tag of an iPhone X? We recommend waiting to see user reviews or taking the time to experiment with the technology to form your own educated opinion.