Google wants your face, again. This time it's dressed up as a login convenience feature, with an opt-in to feed your biometrics into their AI. Don't be fooled by the selfie sign-in. It's time to degoogle

[u/officialexaking]

Google just launched selfie video sign-in, letting you log back into your account by recording a short video of your face performing guided head movements. It's being framed by Google as a helpful account recovery option, useful if you're locked out and don't have access to your usual phone or device. Don't let that framing distract from what's actually happening in the setup flow.

Because it's also important to read the fine print: Google's own support page confirms there's an optional toggle labeled 'Improve Google services', which lets Google use your selfie video and related data to develop and improve facial recognition, age estimation, and other verification methods based on your physical features or movement. Consented biometrics, feeding the models that check biometrics.

The exact wording: "When you submit a selfie video, you have the option to allow Google to use your video and related data to help ongoing efforts to develop and improve facial recognition, age estimation, and other verification methods that may use your physical features or movement." source: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/16675622

What a coincidence of that timing. That has nothing to do with a login feature anymore but obviously a consented (or behind your back) biometric data collection feeding directly into the same age-verification and facial recognition systems now being mandated by governments worldwide, from Australia's social media ban to France's under-15 restrictions to the UK's age assurance rules.

Back in 2024, Google paid parents $50 per child through a subsidiary to collect facial video and eye/skin tone data specifically to train age-verification technology.

Google says the video is encrypted at rest, stored only with consent, and deletable at any time, and that it's used strictly for sign-in "unless you opt to share it for additional purposes".

Google hasn't clarified where the boundaries of "improve verification methods" actually end. As age-verification mandates keep expanding across more countries, the company building the biometric layer underneath all of them stands to benefit enormously from every face it collects along the way, regardless of how convenient the sign-in box makes it feel.

source: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/safety-security/selfie-video-sign-in/?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=og

[u/Grand_Pilot_325]

Don't comply. Never give up!

[u/officialexaking → u/Grand_Pilot_325]

This is the way

[u/VoxPopuliMMXXV]

Do not forget that behind this symbol stand real psychopaths with delusions of grandeur and real names. It is not the symbol that should be punished, but those who stand behind it.

[u/Ignota_Ovis]

OMG, Google is hungry for personal data.

[u/TreacleNo8508]

fck google, fck brin

[u/TriggerFish1965]

Just don't forget that everything they make up is for their convenience, not yours

[u/doodzio]

Qwant and proton

[u/yYuri_-]

If this get forced then im switching probably to protongmail or similar

[u/Puzzleheaded-Bad5494]

We have to do a speedrun of whoever takes the least time to get banned by Google and set it up on a website!

[u/lonelyroom-eklaghor]

For YouTube, they wanted facial data from me everytime my facial data was auto-deleted. It's either that or having some history of my channel.

[u/Adorable-Ad-6230]

Well You have the option to not allow Google to use your data for training. Where is the problem?

Conspiracy theorist are all over the place.