Facebook is testing a new kind of captcha to help users prove their identities by uploading photos of their faces.
According to Facebook, it is doing it to improve the experience for all users of the social media platform.
Facebook Asks Users To Upload Clear Photo
Some of the users on social media have reported facing a prompt on Facebook app asking them to "upload a photo of yourself that clearly shows your face." Apart from that, Facebook is also assuring users that their photos will only be used for identification and will be deleted from its servers afterward.
According to a Facebook spokesperson, it will "help us catch suspicious activity at various points of interaction on the site, including creating an account, sending Friend requests, setting up ads payments, and creating or editing ads."
An account will be locked out until Facebook verifies the user's identity through the photo. If the photo sufficiently proves the identity, then the user can continue using the platform without a hitch. The way Facebook identifies is through comparing the photograph with other images of the user on its platform.
It Is Not Something New
Some users raised the issue on Reddit several months back, saying that they are receiving messages asking them to upload a photo.
"Please upload a photo of yourself which clearly shows your face. It can be an older photo, and it doesn't have to just be you on your own — so long as you're in it. When you send us a photo, we'll check it and then permanently delete it from our servers," a Reddit user reported.
Other Tech Giants
Other tech giants such as Apple have implemented facial recognition for its security purposes. Apple's Face ID for its iPhone X uses a 3D scan of the users' faces and is hence very difficult to trick.
Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy S9 ditched the idea of using 3D facial recognition, but it does use 2D image recognition. It might be good for locking and unlocking the phone but not enough to carry out digital payments and banking.
Some users might find Facebook's insistence on uploading the photo a little unnerving, but the company already has a gigantic stockpile of information on its users. It can use this information for various activities while keeping its actions within the legal range. It remains to be seen how far Facebook will take the testing and if it will be implemented for all or not.
