Android facial recognition can be hacked with a 3D-printed model head

[Tipup]

AS THE world still tries to find a really good alternative to passwords, there's bad news for those that thought that facial recognition was the key, after a journalist from Forbes was able to fool most phones with a 3D printed head.

Thomas Brewster got his own noggin 3D printed and tested it on the facial recognition on four Android phones, plus the iPhone X.

Of the five, only the iPhone X wasn't fooled by the bust - the four Android devices opened without a fuss.

Apple has bet big on facial recognition, whilst fingerprints are the more popular option in Android, and with good reason, it would seem, as only Apple has shown itself to be ready for one of the most obvious ways that it could be fooled.

Look at the Pixel 3 - there's no default for facial recognition there, but it has been added by third parties - Huawei, Samsung and OnePlus all have the option on their current flagships. Yet none is as secure as Apple's offering.

There's no secret that facial recognition is still at its fledgeling stage, as demonstrated by the epic fails of police attempts to implement it.  The message here seems to be that, if you've got an Android phone, stick to fingerprints, or better still passcodes, which are more secure than either biometric solution - compounded by the fact that officials can't generally force you to give up your phone PIN, but they can make you look at it.

Last week it emerged that Taylor Swift fans were subjected to clandestine facial recognition checks at one of her gigs, as attempts were made to scupper her stalkers.

The whole thing makes you wonder if the entire premise of Lionel Ritchie's ‘Hello' video was a blind woman who set out to steal all of Lionel's Bitcoins and read his emails. μ