Facial Recognition Login Arrives: Access Control Biometrics May Be Entering a New Era

Face authentication login relies on facial recognition technology; based on an individual's unique facial features, it verifies the user's identity through dynamic scanning. When a user accesses the login interface, the system terminal automatically transmits the user's image to the facial recognition system. Following digital analysis and comparison, the system confirms the legitimacy of the user. Users are required to first complete a personal information verification setup; thereafter, they can log in simply by scanning their face to confirm their identity. The system even prompts the user to "blink"—a measure designed to prevent impostors from using static photographs to bypass security—making the process appear both highly secure and user-friendly.

In recent years, in an effort to enhance user experience, Alipay has been continuously experimenting with new features. In addition to traditional password-based logins, functions such as fingerprint payment and sound-wave payment have been successively rolled out. Now, with the launch of face-scan login, users can effortlessly complete the login process simply by blinking or turning their head while facing their mobile phone's camera.

As early as CeBIT 2015 in Hanover, Germany, Alibaba unveiled its facial recognition technology, "Smile to Pay." According to Alibaba, this technology was jointly developed by Ant Financial and Face++; it allows users to replace traditional passwords with a facial scan during the payment authentication stage of a purchase. This "facial scan" process involves capturing an image via the device's front-facing camera, followed by automatic authentication performed in the backend. In the future, if you see a young woman taking a selfie, she might not actually be taking a picture of herself—she could be shopping. Now that face-scan login has arrived, can face-scan payment be far behind?

While the face authentication feature streamlines the mobile account login process, it inevitably prompts some to ask: Is "face scanning" truly secure? Will traditional passwords eventually be completely replaced?

According to Alipay representatives, facial recognition technology is highly mature—arguably even more secure than traditional password-based authentication. We view biometric technology as a supplementary tool to traditional password verification; the feature has undergone a rigorous journey—from small-scale testing to its official public launch—spanning over a year. To date, we have not received a single complaint regarding account theft or compromise resulting from errors in facial verification. Much like traditional password and fingerprint recognition technologies, facial recognition requires a verification process involving a comparison against the information stored within the system. First, users must log in to Alipay using a password before they can enable the facial verification service. During the initial verification process, the user's mobile phone camera automatically captures a 360-degree scan of their facial features, recording their current appearance. Subsequently, this captured data is cross-referenced against the user's official identity photo—provided by public security authorities—to confirm their true identity. Second, when a user subsequently attempts to log in using the facial recognition system, Alipay's internal verification mechanism compares the current scan against the results from the previous capture. Simultaneously, this data is submitted once again to the public security department's identity verification system for a "double check"; access to the Alipay system is granted only after both layers of authentication have been successfully passed.
Additionally, Alipay incorporates various auxiliary features that record hardware-specific information, such as the user's frequently used devices and IP addresses. Should any activity be detected that is deemed potentially abnormal—such as a change in mobile device or a login attempt from an unfamiliar location—the user is required to undergo a dual-verification process involving both a password and facial recognition before access to the Alipay system is granted. Furthermore, Alipay has developed a specialized 3D "liveness detection" technology tailored for the financial sector. By requiring specific recognition gestures—such as opening one's mouth, blinking, or nodding—this technology effectively defends against various cyber fraud tactics, including photo substitution, facial swapping, and mask attacks; it is even capable of distinguishing between the subtle facial differences found between siblings.

As early as the moment Alibaba first announced its "Face-to-Pay" project, it was predicted that the future would usher in an era dominated by "facial scanning." Today, however, facial recognition features are no longer a novelty; indeed, China Merchants Bank's mobile app previously launched an "ATM Cash Withdrawal via Facial Recognition" service, and Ping An Bank has undertaken similar initiatives. In this digital age, leveraging high-tech solutions to enhance user experience has become a prevailing trend; while there remain areas requiring further refinement, this evolution is ultimately an ongoing process.
Face-to-Pay. Face-to-Login.

Prior to these developments, facial recognition systems for access control—including various types of automated turnstiles (such as flap barriers, swing gates, tripod turnstiles, sliding gates, and full-height rotaries)—were already in existence. Given the diverse requirements and varying

standards among users, biometric authentication had not yet achieved widespread adoption. However, the advent of the "Face-to-Pay" and "Face-to-Login" era is bound to capture significant public attention and drive a fundamental shift in how access control and passage management systems operate.