How many of you use your face to unlock your phone?
I know it's not all of you.
But you've probably at least seen a lot of people doing it, right?
They hold their phone up directly in front of their face, it unlocks, and boom, they're swiping and typing.
An entire universe of apps, media, information, and services instantly at their disposal.
It seems to be the preferred method for young people especially.
And that should tell you something about the direction we're headed.
There will come a day when your face is literally opening doors for you - both physically and metaphorically.
In fact, in some places, that day has already arrived
Just look at Singapore...
The Pacific hub had one of the highest smartphone adoption rates in the world, with more than 90% of the population using them, compared to roughly 70% for the United States.
It also boasts one of the world's most advanced national digital identity programs, SingPass, which residents can use for more than 400 digital services, including banking, accessing tax returns, and applying for public housing.
And now, they're making that entire network accessible via facial recognition through a program dubbed SingPass Face Verification.
First tested back in July, the new feature allows users to securely log in to their accounts without using a password and is available at public kiosks as well as on home computers, tablets, and smartphones.
It's efficient, and thanks to complex new technology, more secure than you might think.
That is, instead of just verifying the face being presented to the camera, the system uses the screen to illuminate a user's face with a cryptographic sequence of colors. It takes less than seven seconds and it can be used on any device that has a screen.
No impostor can predict or replicate the color sequence that's broadcast onto a person's face and live human faces reflect the colors differently from photos, screens, or masks.
This is all part of Singapore's $1.75 billion Smart Nation initiative, which has revamped online government services, providing access to open data, adding interconnected lampposts with sensors, and introducing cashless payment systems.
And other, larger countries will follow suit.
It's just going to take some time, no question.
But the creep has already begun.
For example, U.S. airlines are already using facial recognition technology to scan passengers at boarding gates, saving passengers roughly nine minutes of boarding time.
And the Department of Homeland Security says it plans to use facial recognition at the top 20 airports for all international air travelers by 2021 - and ALL airports by 2023.