Passfaces face-recognition password technology

Never forget a face

2 July 2007 9:44 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Passfaces is an American company that offers a unique patented technology that "uses the human brain’s innate cognitive function to recognize and retain faces".

Working on the theory that we don’t forget a face, their products, including Passfaces for Windows, abolishes an alpha-numeric password system and grants people access to systems by using a face recognition program.

Passfaces works on the scientific fact that the brain can recognise a face for months, or even years after the first encounter.

Users are given a random set of between three and seven faces to serve as their password. They are then taken through a "familiarisation process" that imprints the faces in their mind.

When they go to log on to protected systems, whether on computers or websites, users are then presented with a selection of screens containing nine faces and they have to select their assigned face from each screen.

Passfaces claim that their technology reduces password related help-desk calls, and stops lost productivity caused by forgotten passwords.