Unlock your phone with your FACE: True Key technology could spell the end of the password


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A new app has marked yet another breakthrough in biometrics by using your face to log on to a website - instead of a password.

True Key takes a photo of your face with the computer's camera and stores it for later use.

When you want to use a password-protected website such as your email, the app scans your face and matches it with its records - removing the need for a password.

Face unlock technology was unveiled at CES 2015 in Las Vegas today. True Key (shown) takes a photo of your face and then uses it as your password. The technology works on any device and can be used for multiple sites. A 'freemium' service can be used on 15 websites - after that it costs £12 ($19.95) per year

Face unlock technology was unveiled at CES 2015 in Las Vegas today. True Key (shown) takes a photo of your face and then uses it as your password. The technology works on any device and can be used for multiple sites. A 'freemium' service can be used on 15 websites - after that it costs £12 ($19.95) per year

The technology works on any device which has a camera meaning that it can replace passwords on computers, tablets and smart phones.

True Key was unveiled at the technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and was reported by USA Today.

The app will be available through the True Key website from next month and could change how we use our computers.

It works on a 'freemium' model and is free for the first 15 websites. After that it costs £12 ($19.95) per year.

HOW SECURE IS TRUE KEY? 

'Your data is locally encrypted with AES-256, one of the strongest grades of encryption available,' the company writes on their site.

'Only you have access to it using things that are unique to you (your face, your fingerprint, a trusted device or a master password that is only known by you).'

'The more factors you have and use, the stronger your True Key profile becomes.

'In addition, we provide multiple security controls so that users can decide how to configure True Key based on their needs.'

True Key has been developed by computer chip maker Intel and Mark Hocking, a vice president with Intel Security, who said: 'Our goal is the elimination of passwords altogether'.

Mr Hocking added that the service might not achieve that goal overnight but it 'will make it easier, over time. It will be a long time before they [passwords] are gone.'

He said: 'I think that the password system is broken.

'We'd like to invent a new system for being able to identify if it's truly you that's trying to get in and then grant you access accordingly as opposed to a password which can be shared or stolen

'Nothing is truly hack free but the practices most of us use for managing our identity are generally very unsafe - using the same password over and over again, using simple passwords.

'This is a tool that will help consumers be more safe'.

Google already lets its users enable two-step verification for their online accounts, and offers Face Unlock on Android. With Face Unlock, pictured, Android users can use their face to unlock their smartphone or tablet, in place of a PIN or a pattern

Google already lets its users enable two-step verification for their online accounts, and offers Face Unlock on Android. With Face Unlock, pictured, Android users can use their face to unlock their smartphone or tablet, in place of a PIN or a pattern

'Our goal is the elimination of passwords altogether' said Mark Hocking, vice president of Intel Security. Mr Hocking added that the True Key service, which can be used with multiple sites (shown), might not achieve that goal overnight but it 'will make it easier, over time'

'Our goal is the elimination of passwords altogether' said Mark Hocking, vice president of Intel Security. Mr Hocking added that the True Key service, which can be used with multiple sites (shown), might not achieve that goal overnight but it 'will make it easier, over time'

Studies have shown that the average person has just 10 passwords that they recycle for all the websites they use, including online banking.

However most of us use obvious things like the name of a pet, our mother's maiden name and our address.

Apple advanced phone biometrics with the iPhone 5 which allowed users to unlock the device with a fingerprint instead of their password.

Researchers have also for years been experimenting with ways of doing away with house keys including retina scans.

They have also developed scanners that let you use your fingerprint to gain access to your home.

AxisKey, developed by a Florida-based security company, went further, and used sonar to scan your fingerprints, the contours beneath them and the shape of your blood vessels in your hands. 



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