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Facial Similarity reports: suggested client actions

Introduction

Before using this guide, we recommend that you read our API documentation about Facial Similarity reports to familiarise yourself with information on individual breakdowns.

This guide is for clients using API v3 who use any Facial Similarity reports in their service. We look at specific scenarios, examine individual results from the report breakdown, and describe suggested actions. We provide suggestions for clients who manually review photos as part of their service, and those who do not.

Later in the guide, we also provide a table showing which Facial Similarity report breakdowns are affected by user environments, and what advice you can give users.

Example scenarios

Scenario 1: All results are clear

In this scenario, the overall report result will be clear and we recommend that you allow the user to proceed.


Scenario 2: face_detected result is consider

  • Ask user to retry (see "User retries")
  • Make sure that both the face on the document and the face in the selfie are clearly visible
  • Confirm the document image with side labelled as front contains a face

Scenario 3: source_integrity result is consider


Type of client Contributing breakdown(s) Suggested client action
ALL clients digital_tampering Block user. Evidence has been found that the user deliberately used photo editing software to manipulate their selfie image.
ALL clients fake_webcam Block user. Evidence has been found that the user is running software capable of manipulating their webcam feed. This might be deliberate, or might be that the user installed the fake webcam software for other purposes and then forgot to turn it off. If you are not risk averse, consider asking the user to retry.
Clients WITH manual review time_of_capture * If you are not allowing users to upload photos, then review the image. If the image looks genuine, ask the user to check date and time is correct on their device and retry.

* If you are allowing users to upload photos (not recommended): ask the user to re-upload a new, more recent selfie.
Clients WITHOUT manual review time_of_capture * Ask the user to check date and time is correct on their device and retry.

Scenario 4: face_match result is consider

  • EITHER block the user OR ask the user to retry
  • Suggest the user retries with a more recent document

Scenario 5: spoofing_detection result is consider

  • EITHER block the user OR ask the user to retry

Scenario 6: liveness_detected result is consider

  • Ask user to retry
  • If you are not risk averse, and all other breakdowns are clear, ignore and allow the user to proceed

User retries

You should always cap the number of user retries in line with your tolerable business risk.

The following table describes which individual breakdowns in the Facial Similarity report are affected by user environments, and what actions you can suggest to users:

face_detected face_match spoofing_detection liveness_detected
Improve lighting conditions X X X
Take both document and selfie images against a plain background X X X
Avoid any glare caused by light sources in the background X X X
Make sure the face is sufficiently close to the camera (on SDK, make sure the face fills the oval) X X X
Make sure the document is sufficiently close to the camera (on SDK, make sure the document fills the region defined by the overlay) X X
Take a frontal selfie, with a straight head X X
Make sure there are occlusions (e.g. glasses) X X
Have a neutral facial expression X
Make sure your face is not blurry X X X
Do not have anyone else in the picture X X X
Do not use filters or devices with overlays X X X
Do not hold the document in the selfie image X
Say the digits displayed on the screen X
Turn your head in the direction displayed on the screen X
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