14 DAY TRIAL // Hardware manufacturers have been going on about hardware encryption, data protection and secure storage units for quite some time now. Whether it's a hardware or software encrypted flash drive or a portable hard drive with AES 256-bit hardware encryption (or any other type of data security feature), companies have been doing what they could to ensure that only the rightful owner can access his or her data.
Still, it seems that one Japanese company considers that simple password protection isn't enough. The USB drive which, according to Nikkei, Fuuten KK is about to deliver will actually be capable of facial recognition.
Yes, now, even USB flash drives can stare back at consumers and offer data access based on a photograph, which must be taken the first time one plugs the drive into a PC equipped with a webcam. The software used in the facial recognition comes pre-installed on the 4GB drive and can compare the user's appearance against the photo in about a second. This feature, naturally, only works on computers equipped with a webcam. For systems without one, a password is required instead.
Besides the ability to look at its owner and tell him or her whether he or she is there, the drive is not so different from any other encrypted flash device. Nikkei's report did not allude to any breakthrough-level data transfer rates or any extra features that may make the Lockface further stand out among its peers. The only differing feature is really the rather unusual design, which imitates a smiling face.
The integration of facial recognition software into a USB flash drive clearly shows that technology has almost arrived at the stage where it can actually gaze upon its creator. Still, philosophical implications aside, there is one thing that might permanently jeopardize one's likeliness to be recognized by their Lockface: facial disfigurement. End-users interested in the product may want to think twice before getting into a fist fight.
When the 4Gb Lockface flash drive eventually becomes available in Japan, it will sell for about ¥10,000 (£68/$111/€76).