As more aspects of daily life move online—including financial transactions, government services like mobile driver’s licenses, and digital travel authentication—the weaknesses of traditional remote identity verification methods, such as passwords, have become obvious. This shift highlights the need for more secure and reliable ways to prove who we are in digital interactions since passwords are susceptible to both hacks and corporate data breaches, not to mention inconvenient for users who must frequently reset them.
There’s now a pressing need for modern remote identity verification measures that seamlessly integrate into our everyday activities while offering superior protection against emerging threats like generative AI-created deepfakes. Confirming a person’s identity without seeing them physically, in person, is a requirement that continues to grow in both importance anddifficulty. Facial biometrics shine in addressing this challenge.
iProov, a leading provider of science-based biometric identity solutions, released data from an independent survey of 2,000 US consumers seeking to understand their impressions of and comfort level with biometric facial verification. These five key findings from the survey underscore Americans’ changing perceptions toward securely verifying a person’s identity online and their perspectives on passwordless verification methods like facial biometric technology:
- Convenience Is King in Security: Consumers strongly prefer online security measures that blend conveniently into their everyday digital lives without disrupting user experience. For instance, a whopping 70% of Americans express interest in solutions like a mobile driver’s license (mDL) for online identity verification.
- Biometrics Are Gaining Ground: Consumer trust in biometric security methods, like facial verification, is rapidly growing thanks to its ability to provide strong security combined with outstanding user experience. Facial biometrics are becoming the preferred choice for 67% of respondents at transportation hubs like airports and train stations to verify their identity. But that preference extends beyond travel, with 61% of consumers likely to use facial biometrics at stores and e-commerce websites for account or payment verification.
- Doubts Regarding Old-School Security Verification Methods: Americans agree passwords have outlived their usefulness. 79% of Americans are skeptical about the effectiveness of traditional security methods like passwords, especially for accessing important sites like banking and government services. This frustration highlights a growing industry problem and calls for action from government and financial institutions to adopt advanced, user-friendly remote identification technologies like biometrics.
- Deepfake Dilemmas: Sophisticated generative AI technology—the backbone of today’s deepfakes—has made it virtually impossible for the human eye to distinguish between genuine and fabricated content without sophisticated tools and monitoring systems. This is worrisome, as 47% of respondents incorrectly believe they’d have no problem identifying a deepfake over a real user image.
- Frustrations With Current Security Practices: The fundamental inconveniences of passwords are taking a toll. In fact, 70% of Americans say they’ve had to reset a password to access an online service at least once in the past six months, often encountering a difficult and time-consuming process.
While Americans are eager to embrace the conveniences of digital transformation in their daily lives, current security practices are falling short and leading to rising levels of fraud, creating distrust among consumers and resulting in large financial losses for banks, retailers, private companies, and government agencies. For instance, earlier this year a UK organization lost more than $25 million to fraudsters who used a digitally cloned version of a senior manager to order financial transfers during a video conference.
If organizations can’t provide secure online services, financial and reputational losses will reduce the competitiveness of commercial enterprises and limit the equal accessibility of government services.
Science-based biometric identity solutions offer a seamless integration into daily digital activities, enhancing user experience while ensuring robust remote verification security. These advanced solutions feature superior liveness detection capabilities and comprehensive threat management systems that actively monitor and respond to emerging threats. This ensures the remote verification process remains secure against sophisticated attacks, safeguarding both individuals and organizations.
Now is the time for governments, financial institutions, and private companies to swiftly leverage these cutting-edge remote identity verification technologies to protect sensitive information and ensure user safety in our evolving digital age. By embracing innovative biometric verification solutions and addressing the shortcomings of traditional security practices, we can establish a secure digital environment that meets the evolving needs of today’s consumers and helps ensure continued levels of trust.
About the Author
Ajay Amlani is the President and Head of the Americas of iProov. He is a respected and accomplished identity technology expert with deep cybersecurity knowledge across the private and government sectors. He drives the adoption of iProov’s face biometric technology as the premier way to authenticate consumers against the backdrop of growing cyberattacks and identity theft.
Ajay has been successfully growing identity technology companies since 2004. He was the co-founder of CLEAR and built the first identity platform for airport traveler implementations. Later he founded YOU Technology, which was acquired by Kroger in 2014, where he went on to launch their first mobile consumer experiences as Executive Vice President.
In 2003, The White House asked him to serve in the Department of Homeland Security where he led many of its first identity technology initiatives and international negotiations with the Group of Eight and the European Union. He helped start https://www.iproov.com/ the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit.
Company website: https://www.iproov.com/
Contact email: [email protected] or [email protected]
