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Susan Ranford
Susan Ranford 8 November 2019

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words: How Selfies are More than Just Casual Pictures

Have you ever wondered about the impact a picture you take of yourself will have in the future? This article goes over how the simple 'selfie' has now become not only a trend, but a way to document identity verification for years to come.

Remember when selfies were the latest fad? It started with image-obsessed young people who were concerned about updating their social media accounts every hour of the day. 

Then, celebrities had fun with selfies. Their group selfies taken at award ceremonies were shared in huge numbers. 

Now, you see everyone posting selfies. Grandmas take selfies with their grandbabies. Young women take selfies of their outfits, and teenagers are always taking selfies and sending them via Snapchat. 

But now, selfies are at a whole new level. Who would have guessed that this fun, innocent fad would become an integral part of digital security? Instead of selfies, we call this latest technology biometric data. 

Here’s why the selfie is now so important.

Our digital world requires that companies find alternative ways to verify their customers' identifications. Proving that the customer is who he says he is protecting our customers from being victims of fraud, but it also protects your company as well. 

How do companies know that this person who claims to be Sam Brown is Sam Brown? Here are the new techniques and technologies that are being utilized to keep fraudulent activities from happening.

Face-based biometrics

Face-based biometrics is just a techie way to say “selfies.” Face-based biometrics utilizes AI technology to determine if the person on the other side of the screen is the person they say they are. This technology is paired with liveness detection that keeps criminals from trying to use fake images to override this piece of security.

ID Verification

Before face-based biometrics can be utilized, companies first need to verify that a particular face matches a name. This is done by analyzing the photo on the ID to see if it matches the customer’s face. 

But what good does it do to match an image with a person, if the ID is a fake, to begin with? That's why companies also need to be able to scan the ID to make sure it is an authentic form of identification. Of course, with the variances in state and country IDs, computers are necessary to complete this process. Macintosh HD:Users:newcomputer:Downloads:security-265130_1920(1).jpg

Document Verification

Another way businesses can verify their customers’ identities is by using document verification. During this process, documents such as utility bills or bank statements are scanned, and the customers’ data is extracted and stored. 

All of these strategies enable you to make sure the customer who is standing in your office is who she says she is. It is also used to improve net verification for customers you never meet face to face. 

Why do we care if our customers are who they say they are?

 Macintosh HD:Users:newcomputer:Downloads:wallet-2125548_1920.jpg

Utilizing this technology is essential for three reasons.

You may be required to follow KYC (Know Your Customer) guidelines that are mandated for specific industries. Most of these industries are financial. Any company that offers credit to customers or ones that allow customers to open accounts must follow these guidelines.

In essence, the government requires that you complete due diligence to make sure your customers are who they say they are. Not doing so could mean hefty fines.

The second reason you should care about utilizing this technology is that its use may keep your company from being sued by clients who suffered when their data was compromised. Yes, we know that not every industry is required to use this technology, but we think you would want to use it to cover your assets. 

Your company leadership may be concerned if their security experts aren't doing everything in their power to protect the company from a large-scale lawsuit. It's difficult to assign blame when a data breach occurs, but do you want to find out if your job is a stake if a security breach occurs?

Finally, it is essential to follow these guidelines because it is an ethical business practice. You want your customers to know they are doing business with a company that cares about their security, but you also should do it for the safety of the world at large. 

Utilizing some of these strategies may stop money laundering, those who are attempting to hide funds for terrorist operations, and others with nefarious intent. 

These tools can be placed over your existing technology. Adding a level of security doesn’t mean you have to redo your app or your website. 

 Macintosh HD:Users:newcomputer:Downloads:locker-4558667_1920.jpg

You can’t be expected to be identification experts on top of everything else you do. That’s why you need to reach out to companies who will provide you with the tools to keep your business moving and growing.

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