November 6, 2019 - 11:49 AMT
Facebook testing face detection tool to verify your identity

Code explorer Jane Manchun Wong has discovered a reference to a purported facial recognition system in Facebook's mobile app that would verify your identity, Engadget reports.

You'd have to take a "video selfie" where you look in different directions to give Facebook a more complete view of your face. It would bit like Apple's Face ID and similar systems, but there's no evidence it would require a depth sensor.

Facebook vows that "no one else" will see the video and that it'll delete the clip after 30 days, although that's not quite as secure as systems like Face ID (which doesn't allow data to leave the device, and only captures "mathematical representations" of your face).

There's also mention of an updated process for submitting your ID photo for account verification. It's decidedly less sophisticated and simply involves snapping a photo of your ID on a flat, well-lit surface and submitting the picture.