Instagram has reportedly begun asking some users to send in video selfies of their face from multiple angles in order to verify that they are a real person. The move comes just weeks after parent company Facebook (now known as Meta) promised to stop using facial recognition technology.
The Verge reports that Instagram is asking certain users to provide video selfies of their face in order to verify that they are a real person. Social media consultant Matt Navarra posted screenshots of the process to Twitter.
Instagram is now using video selfies to confirm users identity
Meta promises not to collect biometric data. pic.twitter.com/FNT2AdW8H2
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) November 15, 2021
Instagram has had issues with bot accounts on the platform for some time. In a recent tweet, Instagram stated that it is asking suspicious accounts to verify that they’re not bots. XDA Developers reported that Instagram began testing the feature last year but faced technical issues.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri (Steve Jennings/Getty)
Another Twitter user, Bettina Makalintal, posted a screenshot of the help screen for the facial verification process which states that users must provide photos fo “all angles of your face” to prove that they’re a real person.
why the fuck is instagram making me take a video selfie in order to access my account pic.twitter.com/BxSW0Bnodt
— tender juicy tofu pup (@bettinamak) November 15, 2021
In a tweet, Instagram stated that accounts that displayed suspicious behavior could be asked to do a video selfie. Instagram also claims that the company does not utilize facial recognition tech and that a team of real people reviews the videos.
Instagram doesn't use facial recognition, and we don't use it in video selfies. We introduced video selfies more than a year ago to help confirm that there’s a person behind an account, and not a bot. https://t.co/mQI0oWOGeY
— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) November 17, 2021
The move comes shortly after Instagram’s parent company Facebook announced that it would be shutting down its facial recognition features and deleting all data. It is likely that the shutdown of this feature is why Instagram has been highlighting the fact that a team of real people is reviewing all videos.
Read more at The Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com
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