Google has a new way for you to sign in to your account and it’s about as personal as it can get. For those times when you can’t remember your password or two-factor authentication has failed, you can set up a selfie video.
Selfie sign-In is a feature designed as a way for people to get into their Google accounts if they’re locked out or don’t have access to their usual phone or computer.
Setting up the feature is very similar to engaging Face Unlock on your phone. You take an initial video of yourself turning your head in various directions for biometric recognition.
Then if you’re locked out of your account and want to use selfie sign-In, you can select it and follow a series of prompts on how to turn your head that will then be matched against the original video.
Selfie sign-In works on both mobile devices and computers.
The feature is rolling out now. To check if your account is eligible for selfie sign-in, go to g.co/signin-selfie.
Your selfie is not always your own
Enabling full access to a Google account that can contain highly personal data seems like a dubious move in the era of deepfakes, but Google claims to have answered that.
“When you use a selfie to sign in, we use multiple layers of security to help prevent impersonation attempts like fake photos and videos (i.e., deep fakes),” the company said in the announcement. “For example, we match your video against your saved selfie and require you to perform simple movements to prove it’s a live video.””
The description sounds like it’s a step short of asking users to hold up a current newspaper for proof of life.
Other recovery methods exist
Selfie sign-In is not the only option when it comes to getting into a locked account.
Passkeys are another biometric option that are handled at the device level. You can also add trusted recovery contacts to your account.
