Selfie Unlock: Google's Convenience Trap or Data Harvester?

In 2026, Google announced that users could log in via selfie if they forgot their password. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC)'s 2025 report, biometric data breaches increased by 35% year-over-year. Once facial recognition data is leaked, it's harder to replace than a password—you can't reset your face. While this feature seems to solve the pain point of forgotten passwords, the underlying security and privacy tug-of-war is far more complex than it appears.