Microsoft's facial recognition software does something amazing when it encounters twins

Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 10, has an interesting new feature: facial recognition.

This, according to the company, will eventually replace the password and comes as part of Windows Hello, a subset of Microsoft Passport that stores biometric information that allows log-ins to programmes, websites and so on.  

The Australian decided to test out Windows Hello on twins to see just how secure the software is when confronted with someone who is almost identical to you. They contacted the Australian Twin Registry, a database of 40,000 twins who are willing to take part in health- or medical-based research, and found six sets of identical twins of various ethnicities, age ranges and genders. 

The facial recognition software requires a RealSense camera from Intel. It comprises three different cameras: infra-red, regular and 3D. The software then combines these into a single image that can judge depth, heat and photos to decide whether the user matches. 

Each set of twins set up an account for one and then the other attempted to log-in - and the software held. According to The Australian, there was not one instance of Windows Hello allowing the wrong twin access to the computer. 

With all of the recent attacks on user privacy and security, having another option to log-in is starting to become essential. Microsoft claim that in order for a hacker to steal your biometrics data they need to steal your entire PC which is quite a distance from a Russian hacker posting 1.2 billion passwords onto the Internet. 

Windows Hello is available to all those who have Windows 10 who also has a compatible camera.