Google is developing real-time facial-recognition tech that uses a phone’s front camera to continuously authenticate users when they’re logged into a bank or email account.

Continuous authentication is viewed as a promising way of improving on today’s approach of only using credentials at the beginning of a session.

Researchers at the University of Maryland, Rutgers University, and Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) unit are using a machine-learning technique to develop a lightweight algorithm that allows a smartphone’s front-facing camera in video mode to conduct real-time facial recognition using partial facial images.

The so-called ‘facial segment-based face detector’ (FSFD) has been tested using face video from the front-facing camera of 50 iPhone users in different lighting conditions.The researchers believe the FSFD technique “is suitable for face-based continuous authentication on mobile devices due to its high recall at excellent precision”. The next phase of work will look at accurate facial landmark detection.

Read more at: CNET: Google creates smartphone ID system that can tell it’s you just from your nose