The growing need for seamless yet secure access control in such high-traffic environments has propelled the adoption of facial recognition technology.
As urban development accelerates, mixed-use buildings - blending residential, commercial, and office spaces - are becoming increasingly common. The growing need for seamless yet secure access control in such high-traffic environments has propelled the adoption of facial recognition technology.
While its benefits in efficiency and security are evident, concerns over privacy and data protection continue to shape its deployment.
Leading access control providers are addressing these concerns by refining facial authentication technology to ensure user consent and data security while maintaining high accuracy and speed.
A shift toward facial authentication
Facial recognition technology is often seen as a double-edged sword - enhancing security while raising concerns about surveillance and privacy. Suprema and HID, two major players in biometric security, emphasize user participation and data protection in their approaches.
Hanchul Kim, CEO of Suprema, highlights the company’s preference for "facial authentication" over conventional facial recognition.
“This distinction is crucial - our approach requires active user participation and explicit consent, aligning with global privacy standards,” he said. “Unlike surveillance-based facial recognition systems that passively scan individuals, our solutions authenticate only registered users who have voluntarily provided their biometric data.”
HID, meanwhile, stresses the advantages of touchless authentication. “Facial recognition enables touchless entry, reducing friction and physical contact at access points for residents, employees, and visitors while improving convenience in high-traffic areas,” said Prabhuraj Patil, senior director of physical access control solutions, ASEAN and India subcontinent at HID.
Security advantages and real-time threat detection
One of the primary benefits of facial recognition technology in mixed-use environments is its ability to prevent unauthorized access. Traditional access control methods, such as key cards and PIN codes, can be easily shared, lost, or stolen.
Facial authentication eliminates these risks by ensuring that access is granted only to the registered individual.
“In mixed-use developments, where multiple user groups need access to different zones, facial recognition speeds up entry and eliminates delays at security checkpoints,” Patil said. “When integrated with security systems, facial recognition can also help identify unauthorized individuals or security threats in real time, enhancing situational awareness for property managers.”
Suprema also focuses on addressing common authentication challenges in dynamic environments. “Our facial authentication system accurately identifies individuals regardless of ethnicity and even when they are wearing masks, glasses, hats, beards, niqabs, or have different hairstyles,” Kim noted.
The system also functions effectively under varied lighting conditions, ensuring consistent performance across diverse access points.
Tackling privacy concerns with decentralized data storage
While facial authentication offers robust security, privacy concerns remain a key consideration. Suprema and HID have adopted measures to protect user data and comply with global privacy regulations.
Suprema’s introduction of 'Template on Mobile' (ToM) authentication is aimed at enhancing privacy protection.
“This innovative technology securely stores facial templates on users’ smartphones, eliminating reliance on company servers for biometric data storage and giving users direct control over their sensitive credential data,” Kim said.
By decentralizing biometric data, ToM reduces the risk of data breaches and aligns with privacy laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Network and Information Security Directive 2 (NIS2). Suprema’s compliance with international certifications, including ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 30107-3 for presentation attack detection, reinforces its commitment to data security.
HID also integrates privacy protections into its biometric deployments. “By combining the benefits of touchless security, real-time monitoring, and streamlined access, our facial recognition solutions empower mixed-use environments to achieve secure, efficient, and privacy-conscious access control,” Patil said.
The role of AI in enhancing facial authentication
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly crucial role in advancing facial authentication technology. AI-driven algorithms help improve accuracy, adapt to different environmental conditions, and enhance security measures against spoofing attacks.
Machine learning models continuously refine facial authentication by analyzing vast datasets, reducing false positives and improving performance across diverse demographics.
AI also enables liveness detection, ensuring that only real individuals - not photos or videos - can gain access. This technology is essential in mixed-use environments where security threats may come from sophisticated fraud attempts. Additionally, AI-powered facial authentication can be integrated with analytics systems to provide insights on access trends, optimize building management, and enhance overall operational efficiency.
As AI capabilities continue to evolve, they are expected to make facial authentication even more robust, addressing existing limitations while improving speed and reliability. Industry leaders are investing in AI research to ensure facial authentication remains both secure and adaptable for the changing needs of mixed-use developments.
Future prospects: Widespread adoption with enhanced privacy controls
As facial authentication technology matures, experts predict broader adoption across mixed-use developments, provided that privacy and security concerns are continuously addressed.
The shift toward user-controlled biometric data storage, combined with advancements in real-time authentication and integration with other security systems, indicates a promising future for facial authentication in access control.
Both Suprema and HID continue to innovate in this space, ensuring that enhanced security does not come at the cost of individual privacy. By implementing stringent compliance measures and refining their authentication methods, they aim to balance security, efficiency, and privacy in an increasingly interconnected world.