Selfies on the rise as popular form of biometric security

Currently, fingerprint sensors are the most ubiquitous form of biometric security and they've advanced to the point of being the easiest to use, as well. Some companies have tried making other forms catch on, like Samsung's recent foray into iris scanning until it discontinued the Galaxy Note 7. Another form of biometric identification that has been quietly growing in popularity is the selfie.

The Wall Street Journal singles out different companies and agencies now using facial recognition to verify users' identities online. These include Uber Technologies, MasterCard and the Alabama Department of Revenue. The method isn't new, but it's finally getting wider recognition as the technology had previously gone widely unrecognized as a common form of biometric security. A number of websites have been using this technology for a while through the use of laptop web cameras. A prompt might ask a user to blink to avoid being fooled by a photograph. Uber is using the technology on smartphones to verify the identity of drivers.

One place users have the option to use facial recognition as a common form of security is on Windows. Microsoft's Windows Hello allows people to use facial recognition or a fingerprint if the laptop supports it to log into a computer. Most PCs are still secured with a password, though.

As facial recognition gets better and becomes more secure unlike before when it can be tricked by photographs, it might become a more common form of security. If the technology becomes quick enough, it could unlock within a second after a user has walked up to a computer or opened up a laptop. This kind of speed would be especially useful in home security systems, in which facial recognition is widely available if not yet widely used. Many China manufacturers are already offering various smart locks that use biometric data.