Bank problem: facial recognition confuses twins – 03/10/2024 – Tech

Facial recognition tools are unable to distinguish between identical twins — the so-called identical twins, which originate from a single fertilized egg and, therefore, have the same genetic code.

The failure occurs because the identification algorithm is based on facial measurements, such as the distance between the eyes or between the nose and the upper lip.

According to the director for Brazil of the identity validation startup Incode, Viviane Sales, the differences between the faces of twin brothers fall within the margin of error of the identification technology.

Trace recognition, like every artificial intelligence process, is a probabilistic calculation and will always involve an error. Furthermore, it is important to have a margin of error so that the system does not become cumbersome due to being too demanding.

With very similar features, identical twins can access each other’s iPhones and bank accounts without any major difficulties. But the problem goes beyond snooping into his brother’s affairs.

In applications that use facial biometrics as a registration key, when one twin is registered, the second may be prevented from registering. This is because the system may indicate that the registration data is already being used by someone else.

The most cited example is the Binance cryptocurrency brokerage account. The company’s Reclame Aqui page brings together 11 complaints from twins prevented from moving their money after the company’s identification algorithm failed.

YouTuber Renan Mizobe Massi faced this problem when trying to withdraw amounts he had in his Binance wallet. The system confused him with his identical twin Matheus Mizobe Massi and did not allow the transaction.

The application then asked for a video of the twins together, each with their own document, to prove that they were different people. Authentication took a day to be confirmed.

But there are situations in which the twins may be far apart and, therefore, unable to record the video, as shown by the complaints in Reclame Aqui.

There are also reports of people waiting for authentication for more than a week without being able to confirm authentication and, consequently, without access to their account.

Binance states that it adopts identity identification systems for compliance reasons and, therefore, asks for a photo ID, a selfie and proof of life.

“Our processes and technologies seek to detect any forged documents, fraudulent face verification attempts, false proof of address and scams related to these topics, making use of Big Data and specialized knowledge, as well as cutting-edge artificial intelligence”, says the company in note.

To resolve the confusion between similar faces, Binance says it has procedures that allow proof of identities without compromising security, such as video calls with interested parties.

The brothers, who produce content with financial tips, say they have opened accounts in several Brazilian banks. “The biggest problem was this with Binance,” says Matheus.

Financial institutions consulted by the report say they cross-reference facial biometrics information with geolocation, access IP (unique code linked to each internet connection) and other data to differentiate the twins.

Viviane Sales, from Incode, says that her company now uses models capable of “perceiving facial expressions and mannerisms that change from person to person, even between twins”. But the adoption of these models, which are more expensive as they are cutting-edge technology, has not yet been consolidated.

The problems go beyond banking apps, as not every business has a technology team the size of a bank.

Twins Letícia and Mariana Rocha, who live in the same apartment with facial identification at the entrance, had difficulty registering in the condominium where they live.

Only Mariana managed to register and Letícia enters the building’s premises recognized as if she were her sister.

“In the private databases where this problem occurred, one simply was unable to register,” says Letícia.

According to her, facial recognition also does not work for them in gov.br apps.

“Recently, I didn’t have a problem, but it’s mainly because I didn’t register facial biometrics for anything,” he says. “I don’t know what it will be like when I renew my driver’s license, for example,” she adds. Senatran (National Traffic Secretariat) recently started using facial biometrics to validate the driver’s license.

In response to the report on the adoption of facial recognition as the gold standard of security in the gov.br system, the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services says that it uses the Electoral Justice database as a reference in its face identification system .

In addition, it offers access alternatives for those who have problems with this route, such as authentication using the QR Code of the identity.

“Anyone who has a problem and is unable to resolve it can use the chat on the gov.br application, to receive assistance from a server from the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services”, says the ministry in a note.

According to Sales, a technology that can have better results than facial recognition is the use of fingerprints, because it uses more reference points.

Voice recognition also differentiates between identical twin brothers, but the technology is still little adopted in the country, according to the sector company Minds Digital.

There are twins who take the situation as a joke, out of mutual trust. Twins Fernanda and Vanessa celebrate being able to make transfers in each other’s names and access their sister’s iPhone.

Apple has stopped offering the fingerprint identification option since adding the Apple ID facial recognition mechanism to the iPhone 13. When contacted, the electronics manufacturer said it would not comment.

Samsung devices still offer the digital option.

Not every twin, however, enjoys their brother’s trust, as shown in the story of gambling heiresses Shanna and Tamara Garcia. The Globoplay series Vale o Escrito narrates, among other things, the intrigues of the two, who today are not spoken to.

“We know other twins who don’t get along so well and, in these cases, this problem of identification can be a big problem”, says YouTuber Matheus.

In the United States, a guideline from Nist (National Institute of Standards and Technologies, in free translation) recommends that companies that use facial recognition offer alternatives to face identification to differentiate identical twins. The text is not normative, it is only valid as instruction.

In Brazil, the use of facial recognition is not regulated, which could change if the regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, currently being processed in the Senate, is approved.