Google's Mobile Facial Recognition Seen Lacking in Security

Google Inc.'s flashy new mobile security feature, which lets users unlock their phones with facial recognition, is generally considered less secure than a plain old PIN.

When users first set up the feature, called Face Unlock, Google provides a disclaimer that says a password or PIN would be more secure, Computerworld reported Tuesday. And people who have tested the feature have been able to trick it with a photograph (though Computerworld was unable to trick the system during its own test).

Other facial recognition systems "can be highly secure," the article says, but an analyst warns that the system Google uses is not trustworthy enough for those wishing to use their phones as a mobile wallet.

"Would I want to use Face Unlock for doing monetary transactions? Not a chance," Jack Gold, an analyst at J.Gold Associates, told Computerworld.