Why can’t ATMs be face ID to prevent unwanted payments on a stolen card, if so many phones can be mass produced with facial recognition tech?
In: Economics
There are multiple legal and security reasons why ATM’s cannot be facial ID. One of the simplest is that its illegal in a variety of country’s to store sensitive biometric data like facial likeness, DNA or other fingerprints. And if they have your biometrics, it’s very heavily policed and regulated. On top of that, facial recognition tech and other biometrics have a “dead access” problem, which gives no incentive for the recipient of said technology.
By utilizing biometric tech, anyone robbing you also does not need to care you being alive or dead. Hell a severed hand/head/floating eye can in theory go through biometrics. Not to mention the proliferation of biometric data only worsens the issue of privacy since it means that there are more sources to which your biometric data (arguably your most UNIQUE and identifiable trait) has more access points.
Also, high resolution biometric scanners are expensive. So imagine having to purchase a biometric scanner for each and every ATM. Its not pragmatic or cost efficient.
So yeah, alot of NOs to using facial ID.
Facial recognition is less secure than you might think:
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2019/01/08/facial-recognition-on-42-android-phones-beaten-by-photo-test/
Having face data in your one phone is not nearly as risky as having it in thousands of ATMs. You can’t “change your face” if this data is somehow hacked.
There are more practical security concerns that ATMs should focus on first. Their system for tracking unusual purchases could be improved, more people could use two factor authentication, etc.
This is a drastic measure which would be a expensive to roll out. There are more practical things they should fix first.
Side note, ATMs do take a picture every time anyone uses them. Police can use these to investigate fraud.
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