In the 1960s, a biometric was just a futuristic vision from the movies; did any of us really believe that HAL, the computer from '2001: a Space Odyssey' could authenticate & recognize Dave's speech!
But today, it's s no longer science fiction; it's reality.
The time has come to cast common myths aside and address modern-day security challenges with modern-day solutions. Perhaps the most futuristic and least understood of all biometrics is the use of voice. Voice Biometrics is accurate, secure, and widely accessible, but where technological advancements appear, myths follow.
When many think 'biometrics,' their first thought is 'Big Brother is watching.'
Let's take a couple of minutes to dispel some of the most common myths and misconceptions, so you can decide for yourself if voice biometrics is the best way for you to provide a secure and seamless authentication experience for employees &/or customers.
THE MYTHS
It's much too complicated to integrate.
No matter your use case or business size, the V2 voice biometric solution is truly easy to implement on-prem, in the cloud, or hybrid. V2 simply supplies you with an API and assists your tech team with the simple integration process.
It's beyond my budget.
Voice biometrics are actually surprisingly affordable. As we note in our Password Reset Case Study, with this technology's low cost of entry, most integrators end up saving money with voice authentication by protecting against fraud and streamlining processes.
Onboarding is Painful & Authentication is Inconvenient
As with all security protocols, there is a degree of onboarding; biometrics are no different. But when onboarding & authenticating with a voice biometric, all the user needs to do is talk; it's that simple and can even be done actively or passively.
Active - by reading what is on the screen or repeating a passphrase
Passive - recording a voice (with consent) while on the phone to a customer service agent
This process is much more straightforward than your standard methods; after all, this doesn't require any memorization, just speak a short phrase into your smartphone to authenticate.
What about people who sound like me or someone using a recording of my voice to access my account.
The critical distinction here is that your voiceprint (not your voice) is your password. Voice biometrics utilizes a voiceprint (even more unique to you than your fingerprint), and your speech pattern's unique characteristics are what become your password. Making a voiceprint of someone sounds as easy as pressing record, but it really isn't. The V2verify solution has a random 'liveness detection' process & can detect if the person speaking is live or a recording. Irrespective of how high-quality a recording is, or the use of voice manipulation, all vocal characteristics are unique.
What if I have a cold?
This myth is one of the most prevalent ones, and many people consider it a show-stopper. But the stats prove otherwise. As we mentioned above, all the physical and behavioral aspects of each voice are analyzed, and very few of these data points are affected by a sore throat. This means that even if you have a stuffy nose or even spoke in a different language, V2verify would be able to match you with your voiceprint.
If someone hacks the company's database, they will have access to my voiceprint.
Honestly, it's not a big deal! First of all, if hackers were to steal a recorded voice, they couldn't do anything with that data. Your voice is safe because V2verify does not capture the entire voiceprint but just a portion. To utilize this small part of your voice, they'd need a proprietary back-end process to analyze the data. Finally, the V2 solution employs random 'liveness detection' technology to confirm that the voice is that of a live user and not a recording.
As with any new technologies, myths and speculation abound, and as cyber breaches become more common, it's feasible that users are a little wary of new and innovative technologies.
However, with its exceptional security credentials, voice biometrics is set to revolutionize how companies authenticate their customers and secure sensitive information – while simultaneously enhancing the entire experience.