Facebook to introduce 'facial recognition' for enhanced security

Following the footsteps of tech giant Apple, social networking major Facebook will soon roll out its new facial recognition feature to help unlock one's account, thereby enhancing security and privacy.

While travelling, it could be difficult for one to gain access to his or her Facebook account through the two-factor authentication SMS, particularly during air travel, where there is no possibility of internet access.

It could also be a tiresome process to go through multiple layers if mail access cannot be retrieved. In such cases, the new feature, which is in its pilot phase, could prove to be handy.

"We are testing a new feature for people who want to quickly and easily verify account ownership during the account recovery process. This optional feature is available only on devices you've already used to log in. It is another step, alongside two-factor authentication via SMS that were taking to make sure account owners can confirm their identity," a company representative told TechCrunch.

After the pilot phase, Facebook is likely to roll out the feature permanently, if successfully completed. While privacy has remained a priority, the social media leader suggests that this feature uses technology keeping user privacy in mind.

Earlier, amid much anticipation, Apple, in its anniversary edition, iPhone X (pronounced iPhone 'ten') introduced the Face ID feature, which will replace the age-old touch ID.

Using a combination of infrared cameras and 3D depth sensing technology, the software will help recognize a user's face, or the Face ID, which can subsequently be used to unlock the phone, authorize Apple Pay payments, and even create customized animated emojis.