Need to recover your Facebook or Instagram account? Meta has a new trick for that

If you've ever lost access to a Facebook or Instagram account, you know it can be frustrating to prove that you're really you. Meta is hoping to make regaining access to your account a lot easier and faster by bringing back a technology it recently did away with.

Several years ago, Facebook shut down its facial recognition system over privacy concerns. At the time, the company said that the "many specific instances where facial recognition can be helpful" (like automatically tagging you in photos or suggesting tags) didn't justify the fears of someone misusing that data.

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This week, Meta announced the return of facial recognition. This time around, though, it's for security purposes. 

Previously, if you lost access to your account because you forgot your password or someone used your password, the process of gaining access back involved uploading an official ID or birth certificate. Now, Meta says it's testing video selfies as a way for you to get access to your account again. Here's how the process works.

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If you lose your Instagram or Facebook account, Meta will ask if you want to use a code sent to your phone, email, or if you want to send in a video selfie. If you choose the selfie, you decide between using the facial recognition software or a manual review. You'll then take a video showing your face from several sides.

Meta will use facial recognition to compare your video to the profile picture on the account. When you upload a video selfie, Meta says it will be encrypted and stored securely. Your selfie will never be visible on a profile, and it won't be visible to anyone on Facebook or Instagram. Meta adds that any facial data generated after this comparison is automatically deleted whether it's a match or not.

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This process only takes a minute and is significantly faster than the old process that required human review. Meta says, in addition, this method is ultimately harder for hackers to abuse than document-based identification.