Google’s buying faces for $5 to take on Apple’s Face ID

• Google is reportedly giving out $5 gift cards in exchange for data on people’s faces.
  
• The tech giant’s impetus on collecting face data is for training their own Face ID feature, which is expected on the upcoming Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones.
  
• Having more data to develop its facial recognition software will give Google a fighting chance against Apple’s Face ID.
  

Users aren’t happy when their data is taken without their consent but Google is ready to pay for that information in order to get an edge over Apple’s Face ID.

The tech giant is reportedly giving out $5 gift cards for Amazon and Starbucks to users who are ready to share their data about their face with the company according to ZDNet.

Google is working on Face ID software of its own for the upcoming Pixel phones, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. But in order to train 3D facial recognition, Google needs a lot of data.

To get that data, Google has teams of engineers in multiple cities around the United States collecting data to ‘improve the next generation of facial recognition phone unlocking’.

These engineers walk up to passersby on the street and ask them if they would like to participate in the project. If the answer is yes, the user is then handed a phone and asked to take pictures of their face from different angles using the selfie mode in exchange for a $5 gift card.

Apple’s Face ID

There’s only a one in a million chance that Apple’s Face ID can be fooled, according to the company. It can look past sunglasses, scarves or any kind of disguise that one can throw on.

The iPhone’s True Depth camera and sensors calibrate more than 30,000 dots on your face before unlocking the phone. They may not be visible to the naked eye, but they’re there.

Business Insider even tried to fool the software using identical twins but Face ID was smarter.

But, it’s not without its problems. Because the software is so secure, it requires your undivided attention in order to work properly. It also doesn’t like it if your hands are too close to your face.

So, even at Apple’s end, there’s room for improvement to make Face ID faster and more accurate while also keeping it convenient.

See also:
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