Apple Inc's acquisition of RealFace made rumors a reality that the iPhone 8 will house a facial recognition system. While the technology promises to be sophisticated, it's filled with a series of downsides that include practicality and accuracy. It also includes a potential hacking issue that will leave users' personal information vulnerable to third parties.

Apple's RealFace Acquisition

Apple recently acquired a Tel Aviv based company called RealFace. It's a cyber security and machine learning startup company of 10 and said to have developed a system that makes use of AI to give the most frictionless and accurate facial recognition, The Inquirer reported.

Now that it belongs to Apple, tech gurus who have speculated that the iPhone 8 will ditch the Apple Touch ID system and will use RealFace instead, now have something factual to back their speculations.

What It Can Do For iPhone 8 and the Flipsides

Apple's Touch ID is fast and accurate, and it's one of the most appreciated security systems in the world. The fact that iPhone 8 has RealFace is not always impressive because of the following reasons:

  1. Instability. Tech companies that use facial recognition technology often suffer speed and accuracy issues. What if the user is in a life-threatening situation and may need to place a call? Windows Hello requires two to three attempts as it needs bright light, Forbes reported.
    If Apple really wants this RealFace technology to be more successful than other tech companies' facial recog, then they have to match up for speed and accuracy. That's because while security is very important in this day and age, being able to use your device in everyday situations is far more important. What's the use of an expensive phone that can't assist in emergencies?
  2. Expense. Speaking of expense, the RealFace technology will add $10-$15 more to the price of iPhone 8.
  3. Practicality. If users are fond of checking their phones every once in a while, they might have difficulty doing so with the RealFace tech. What's more is that it would be more difficult to access the iPhone 8 if the users wear eyeglasses or contact lenses or any accessory that will mess up the recognition system.
  4. Hacking. In November last year, it was reported that 3D models based on Facebook images can be used by third parties to fool facial recognition systems. RealFace makes use of a front-facing 3D laser scanner.
    A group of researchers from the University of North Carolina proved this theory by using Facebook photos to fool some facial recognition systems. The result? They were able to fool 55 percent to 85 percent of the four in five facial recognition systems used to unlock smartphones.

The whole purpose of the facial recog system is to have more secure transactions especially as mobile payments in banks are starting to expand. If these flipsides are found in iPhone 8, then Apple might as well stick to their Touch ID.

Tags IPhone 8, Apple