October 21, 2019 By John E Dunn
Does it matter that Google’s Pixel 4 ‘Face Unlock’ works even if the owner has their eyes closed?
For those who’ve never encountered it, the Pixel’s proprietary Face Unlock works by enrolling a model of the user’s face, which is securely stored on a chip inside the phone.
It’s a rival to Apple Face ID, which appeared two years ago in the iPhone X. Google is so confident with the security this technology offers, it even ditched the fingerprint sensor alternative used on older products.
But a BBC reporter has discovered a potential issue – Face Unlock works when the user has his or her eyes closed, for example, when they’re asleep.
