Apple accused of racism after Face ID fails to distinguish between Chinese iPhone X users
Apple accused of racism after Face ID fails to
distinguish between Chinese iPhone X users
There have been several reports of Apple's Face ID
failing to distinguish between users
By Sophie CurtisTechnology And Science Editor 18:11, 21
Apple has been accused of racism, amid reports that the
Face ID authentication technology on its new iPhone X is failing to distinguish
between Chinese users.
A man from Shanghai bought his wife the new gadget soon
after it was released last month, but she was shocked to discover it could be
unlocked by her teenage son.
The man, identified only by his surname Liu, phoned
Apple's customer service hotline to report the problem.
"Our son was using it and didn't know the
password", he said, according to Shandong TV Station .
He was told it was an isolated case and was due to the
fact his wife and son look very similar. However, Apple has reportedly launched
an investigation into the Liu family's claims.
This is not the first reported incident of Chinese users
being able to unlock each other's iPhone Xs.
Last week, AsiaOne reported that a woman from Nanjing
discovered her colleague was able to unlock her phone using Face ID.
When Madam Yan first called Apple's hotline to complain
about the problem, the customer service representative told her it was
"impossible".
However, when pair took the phone to the store to prove
what had happened, they found they could unlock all the phones in the store.
"We look quite ordinary. What if someone picks up my
phone and opens it?" said Madam Yan's colleague, Madam Wan.
"Then they could buy stuff through my phone and make
payments. We don't have any sense of security."
Apple claims the probability that a random person in the
population could look at your iPhone X and unlock it using Face ID is
approximately one in a million. However, there are some caveats.
If you have a twin or a sibling who looks very similar to
you, the probability of a false match is higher.
Hackers have already found a way to hoodwink the iPhone
X's Face ID security system.
It is also higher for children under the age of 13,
because their distinct facial features may not have fully developed, according
to Apple.
The company claims to have worked with people all over
the world to ensure the product accessible to people of different ethnicities.
"We worked with participants from around the world
to include a representative group of people accounting for gender, age,
ethnicity, and other factors," said Cynthia Hogan, Apple's vice president
of public policy for the Americas, in October.
"We augmented the studies as needed to provide a
high degree of accuracy for a diverse range of users."
Comments
Post a Comment