Microsoft Entra Introduces New Face Check Feature

Key insights

 

Microsoft Entra Verified ID Expands with Face Check: Microsoft announced the addition of Face Check to its Microsoft Entra Verified ID, aiming to enhance digital identity verification with a privacy-respecting facial matching feature. This new feature, which is currently in preview, allows organizations to perform high-assurance verifications by matching a user's selfie with the photo from their identity document, such as a passport or driver’s license. This service is based on open standards and integrates with leading verification partners.

• Enhanced Security and Privacy: Face Check boosts user privacy while ensuring organizations can verify identities accurately without collecting sensitive data directly.
• Combatting Fraud with Advanced Verification: As fraud increases and becomes more sophisticated, features like Face Check are vital for businesses and consumers to ensure secure and reliable identity verification.
• Wide Application and Easy Implementation: Organizations across 192 countries can utilize Verified ID for a variety of verification purposes, including employment status and educational background, with a simple API integration.
• Significant Reduction in Fraud: Implementing Verified ID has led to notable reductions in fraud, such as a 90% decrease in fraudulent Skype Phone Number registrations in Japan.
• Looking Forward: Microsoft plans to extend Verified ID's capabilities to include verification of additional identity attributes, such as verified work history and legal entity verification, in partnership with industry-leading organizations.

Facilitating Secure Digital Identity Verification: Microsoft's introduction of Face Check into Verified ID represents a significant advancement in digital identity verification technology. By leveraging Azure AI, this feature assists in confirming an individual's claimed identity through a privacy-first approach, ensuring that sensitive identity information remains protected. This development not only streamlines the verification process for users and organizations but also sets a new standard for balancing security needs with privacy concerns in digital interactions. Furthermore, the broad applicability and ease of integration of Verified ID, coupled with Microsoft's plans for future enhancements, demonstrate a commitment to evolving with the digital landscape to address emerging security challenges. This initiative highlights the importance of adopting secure, user-friendly digital identity verification measures in today's increasingly digital and fraud-prone environment.

Understanding Microsoft Entra Verified ID and Its Importance

Microsoft Entra Verified ID, now expanded with the Face Check feature, marks a significant advancement in digital identity verification. This innovation addresses the growing need for secure, reliable, and privacy-conscious methods to prove one's identity online. With fraud and identity theft on the rise, establishing a robust mechanism for verification has become crucial for both individual users and organizations. The introduction of Face Check, leveraging Microsoft's Azure AI technologies, offers a seamless way to verify identity documents against real-time selfies without compromising user privacy.

The impact of this technology extends beyond just enhancing security; it simplifies user experience and reduces the burden on organizations to manually verify identities. This system's reliance on open standards underscores Microsoft's commitment to interoperability and broad applicability, enabling a wide array of use cases from employment verification to secure access to digital services. As we navigate an increasingly digital world, the importance of digital identity verification systems like Microsoft Entra Verified ID cannot be overstated, representing a critical step forward in how identities are managed and authenticated online.

 

Today, Microsoft announced the addition of Face Check to Microsoft Entra Verified ID, which is now in preview. Face Check introduces a privacy-respecting facial matching feature designed for high-assurance verifications. This expansion aims to provide a secure and easy-to-use method for digitally verifying identities, addressing the increasing challenge of fraud in both business and personal contexts.

Microsoft Entra Verified ID leverages open standards to verify credentials through a simple API, working with leading verification partners worldwide. This system is already being used by hundreds of organizations to onboard new users remotely and reduce fraud in self-service recovery processes. Notably, its implementation has significantly reduced fraudulent cases in various operations, including a 90% reduction in Japan for Skype Phone Numbers.

Face Check harnesses Azure AI services to match a user's real-time selfie with the photo on their identity document, enhancing privacy by sharing only the match results. Organizations can now confidently verify identities without compromising user privacy. Among the early evaluators of Face Check is BEMO, a cybersecurity help desk service provider, which praises the feature for its balance of security and compliance benefits.

Getting started with Face Check in Microsoft Entra Verified ID is straightforward and quick, taking approximately five minutes. The process involves creating a Face Check-ready Verified Workplace Credential, configuring access for users or groups, and using Microsoft Authenticator to obtain a Face Check-ready Verified ID.

Face Check enables high-assurance verification by allowing apps to request a simple API check against various credentials, such as Verified Employee credentials or state-issued IDs. This capability supports a wide range of self-service scenarios, from activating a passkey to resetting a password, while providing apps with a confidence score for the match without granting access to sensitive data.

Looking forward, Microsoft Entra Verified ID will expand to cover more identity attributes, partnering with organizations like Dun & Bradstreet, LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, and IDEMIA. Microsoft aims to offer comprehensive verification solutions that cover employment, education, and legal entity verification. To learn more about these advancements and Microsoft Entra innovations, the community is invited to join Microsoft Secure on March 13, 2024.

Microsoft Entra Verified ID represents a significant step forward in digital identity verification, using cutting-edge technology to combat fraud while respecting user privacy. This expansion into facial recognition, backed by Azure AI, exemplifies Microsoft's commitment to enhancing security and trust in the digital world. Organizations looking to implement secure, convenient, and compliant identity verification processes will find Microsoft Entra Verified ID a powerful tool in their arsenal.

 

Microsoft Entra Innovations: The Future of Security and Verification

Microsoft Entra is at the forefront of identity verification and security solutions, offering cutting-edge technologies like the Face Check feature. This innovative tool, integrated into the Microsoft Entra Verified ID, redefines digital identity verification, making it more secure and user-friendly across global scales. Businesses and organizations benefit significantly from such reliable verification features, combating fraud more efficiently and ensuring that digital interactions remain trustworthy.

By continually enhancing its security solutions, Microsoft Entra makes strides towards a future where digital identities are verified with unprecedented confidence, ensuring access is granted safely and privacy is maintained. As we move forward, the integration of Azure AI and the expansion of verification capabilities highlight Microsoft's commitment to developing sophisticated security solutions that cater to evolving business needs and user preferences.