facial recognition

Controversial Clearview AI iPhone app disabled for breaking App Store rules

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Clearview AI violated Apple’s terms of service.
Apple deliberately broke a facial-recognition iPhone app from Clearview AI.
Photo: Clearview AI/Cult of Mac

A facial-recognition application that has been the source of recent controversy has been taken offline by Apple. This came after a published report accused Clearview AI of evading the App Store by distributing its iPhone software to customers via tools that are only supposed to be used inside companies.

Will Face ID kill the password?

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Will FaceID kill the password?
Biometric authentification like FaceID may not spell the end of passwords anytime soon.
Photo: Public domain

This iPhone security post is presented by Dashlane.

Will Apple’s Face ID kill the password? One might assume that if the biometric advance of Touch ID didn’t do it via fingerprint, the more-advanced facial recognition of Face ID incorporated in recent iPhones just might. However, experts tend to agree passwords aren’t going away anytime soon. We’ll get into the reasons why below, which will help explain why password-management security apps like Dashlane remain crucial to your online security.

Here’s how Apple Car might eliminate blind spots

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Here's how Apple Car might eliminate blind spots
Apple's got some fascinating ideas for Apple Car.
Photo: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

Currently, drivers only have the rearview and side mirrors of a car to let them know what’s going on behind them. But a new Apple invention describes an upgrade — that may eliminate blind spots by projecting mirrored images of the surrounding environment onto the window or windshield.

This could give the driver more contextual information about their surroundings, depending on where they are.

iPhone getting a built-in doggy detector and kitty catcher

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Apple Vision Framework
Apple’s Vision Framework is a sophisticated machine-learning method to identify Fluffy.
Screenshot: Apple

Coming to iPhone and Mac is a tool that examines images looking for cats and dogs. But the goal isn’t an app that allows people to walk around with an iPhone identifying the species of random critters. As fun as that might be, Apple is using machine learning to provide developers a powerful tool for identifying object of any type in images.

Android phones might finally catch up to Apple’s Face ID

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face id
The company that sells Apple a critical component for Face ID expects to have more customers this year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone’s multi-year lead in facial recognition could finally be nearing its end, as one of the third-party suppliers for the hardware in Face ID says it expects to start selling its 3D sensors to more companies this year.

iPhone’s Face ID obliterates gullible Android rivals

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Facial recognition 1
The iPhone was the only one of the tested smartphones which passed the test.
Screenshot: Forbes

When Apple first introduced Face ID with the iPhone X, many were concerned that facial recognition would make it easier to hack into phones.

Fortunately, Apple’s approach to Face ID has largely allayed people’s fears. But just how secure is the facial recognition biometric technology adopted by Apple and its rivals? A Forbes reporter (and his 3D printed head model) recently demonstrated just how the iPhone stacks up against Android rivals.

iPhone supplier sees increasing Face ID orders ahead of new devices

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Face ID attention awareness
Face ID can now recognize a second person.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of Apple’s manufacturing partners is enjoying a sizable boost in revenue off the back of increased orders for Face ID components.

Lumentum’s vertical-cavity-surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), a key component of the flood illuminator and dot projector inside iPhone X, is in high demand as Apple prepares its next-generation iPhone and iPad lineups for a fall debut.

Samsung gives up on competing with Face ID for Galaxy S10

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Samsung Intelligent Scan Face ID
Samsung could scrap Intelligent Scan already.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung might have beaten Apple to iris scanning and facial recognition, but it certainly isn’t doing a better job.

Face ID is considered to be far more advanced than anything available on Android today. A new report claims Samsung is actually giving up on competing technology and returning to fingerprint scanners for the Galaxy S10.

Creepy video shows how iPhone X can make your face vanish

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iPhone X
It's the Invisible Man.
Photo: Kazuya Noshiro

Having your own invisibility cloak could soon become a reality thanks to the iPhone X. Kind of.

Japanese developer Kazuya Noshiro showed off a demo of an app he’s working on that uses the iPhone X’s facial recognition features to completely camouflage a users’ face with the background. The trippy effect almost makes you look like a set of floating eyeballs with hair on top.

Watch his face disappear:

Huawei reveals details of its upcoming Face ID competitor

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Face ID
Face ID uses 30,000 invisible dots to map your face.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Face ID on the iPhone X could soon face some stiff competition from one of Apple’s biggest rivals in China.

Huawei unveiled its latest tech today that is destined for its Android smartphones and it looks like the company may have come up with a facial recognition solution that’s already better than Face ID.

Apple may keep face data locked down, but devs can still get it

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Michael Cohen Face ID
There's a (sort of) loophole in Apple's privacy stance.
Photo: Apple

Apple might have been praised for ensuring that Face ID data stays securely on the iPhone X, but privacy experts are concerned that the same thing isn’t true for the apps which use iPhone face data,

According to a new report, apps which use facial data for their services — such as offering fun masks for selfies or having animjoi-style video game characters who mirror the expression of gamers — are not subject to the same privacy terms and conditions. In fact, so long as they ask customer permission and don’t sell the data, they are free to take it off the phones and store it on their own networks.

Everything we know about iPhone X’s Face ID

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Michael Cohen Face ID
Michael Cohen was forced by a court warrant to open his iPhone with Face ID.
Photo: Apple

When the iPhone X arrives November 3, it will bring a new age of security with it.

Apple is ditching fingerprints for facial scanning when it comes to unlocking your device, thanks to the iPhone X’s all-new Face ID feature. Not all Apple fans are excited about this. But if Face ID works as well as Apple says it does, it could be the most innovative iPhone addition in years.

Here’s what you need to know about Face ID.

Apple explains how it tried to prevent Face ID from being racist

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FaceID
The iPhone X's FaceID feature looks impressive.
Photo: Apple

Apple says it has done extensive testing to ensure that Face ID treats everyone equally when the feature launches next month with the iPhone X.

Face ID has attracted a slew of security questions from the public wondering how Apple plans to keep biometric data private. U.S. Sen. Al Franken also asked what Apple is doing to protect against racial, gender or age bias in Face ID.

Apple finally responded to the senator’s question, providing a deeper look into the testing process.

Samsung will be first to deliver big feature Apple couldn’t

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Galaxy Note 7 USB-C
Samsung's next Galaxy Note will have a fingerprint-scanning display.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Samsung will beat Apple to delivering a revolutionary new smartphone display, according to one reliable analyst.

The South Korean company’s next Galaxy Note will have a fingerprint-scanning screen, which Apple had to drop from iPhone X because it couldn’t be perfected in time for launch.

macOS High Sierra is now available to the public

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macOS High Sierra
macOS High Sierra is ready for primetime.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The wait for macOS High Sierra is finally over.

Apple unleashed its huge update for the Mac this morning bringing a host of new features and UI changes to desktops after months of beta testing. Most of the update contains under-the-hood changes the makes machines faster and more stable, but there are plenty of new additions to love.

iPhone X revolutionizes the smartphone all over again

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iPhone X
Apple's tenth anniversary iPhone has landed.
Photo: Apple

During its very first event in the Steve Jobs Theater, Apple today unveiled the much-anticipated iPhone X.

The device is a celebration of the iPhone’s tenth anniversary, and it comes with an all-new design and exciting features that hope to breathe new life into the lineup and revitalize falling sales.

iPhone X sports a stunning edge-to-edge Super Retina display, advanced facial recognition, wireless charging, and lots, lots more.

Forget about everything else; this is the smartphone you’ll want next.

iPhone 8 will be missing one big feature everybody loves

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face tracking
You're going to have to get used to life without Touch ID.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Since Apple revolutionized smartphones ten years ago, it has kept working to give us new technologies that keep changing the way we use mobile devices. One of those has become beloved by all iPhone fans, but you’re going to have to get used to life without it.

No, I’m not talking about the physical Home button, but rather Touch ID. A new report claims there’s no place for it in iPhone 8.

Analyst: Blame Samsung for iPhone 8’s high price tag

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iPhone 7
Switching to OLED won't be cheap.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s upcoming premium iPhone is likely to be its most expensive model ever — and Samsung is partly to blame, according to a reliable Apple analyst.

In his latest research note, KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo explains to investors that Samsung currently holds a practical monopoly on the supply of OLED displays. The company is likely charging Apple a huge amount of money to make the switch from LCD modules to OLED. Apple fans probably won’t be happy with the final price tag.

Most Apple fans have no idea what to expect from iPhone 8

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iPhone 8 render
iPhone 8 will be a huge upgrade, but most fans aren't prepared.
Photo: Quinton Theron

If you’ve been keeping up with the iPhone 8 rumors, you’ll know exactly what to expect from Apple’s big refresh this fall. But for the vast majority of fans, the upgrade will come as a huge surprise.

One survey has found that for ordinary iPhone users, the urge to upgrade is no more significant than it has been for previous, more incremental releases.

Face value: 7 thoughts about biometrics and the iPhone 8

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Apple will undoubtedly play it smart when it comes to bringing facial recognition to the iPhone 8.
Apple will undoubtedly play it smart when it comes to bringing facial recognition to the iPhone 8.
Photo: Jeshoots/Pixabay CC

By Joey Pritikin

Over the last five years, biometrics has evolved from the stuff of crime scene investigation and science fiction movies to a broad set of technologies that make our lives easier, more personal, and more secure. Starting with the Touch ID sensor in the iPhone 5s, Apple led the way in the acceptance and adoption of biometrics.

The latest indications are that Apple is embracing a face-recognition approach that goes beyond a standard 2D, visible-light sensor. When used in a situation where there are only a handful of approved users, like a consumer mobile device, the promise is great.

Apple’s 3D sensing tech is two years ahead of the competition

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iPhone 8
Android manufacturers aren't in a rush to copy all of the iPhone 8's features.
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

Don’t expect Android phones to be able to match the upcoming iPhone’s 3D sensing technology any year soon.

According to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple competitor Qualcomm is working on its own 3D sensing tech, but it’s at least two years behind. And handset-makers aren’t in a rush to embrace it quite yet.