Initially spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, the video selfie verification system on Instagram requires new users to verify their identity by providing a short selfie video clip.
In the video, users need to “turn their head in different directions” to give an all-around view of their faces. Following this, the company’s AI algorithms will detect whether they are real individuals or not. You can check out a couple of screenshots, showcasing the feature in the tweet attached below. Instagram is now using video selfies to confirm users identityMeta promises not to collect biometric data. pic.twitter.com/FNT2AdW8H2— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) November 15, 2021
Now, if you were wondering about privacy and security risks, as mentioned by Navarra, Meta has promised to not collect any facial data of users via this verification system. The social giant has confirmed that the provided video clip will be auto-deleted within 30 days. So, we can expect the company to not feed your verification data to its facial recognition system (which has been shut down).
Coming to the availability of the new video selfie verification system, it is currently only available on new Instagram accounts. The company does not require existing users to verify their identity with the new video ID system just yet. However, the platform might roll it out for all users soon.
