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Biometric Liveness

A biometry liveness step is the part of a DocIDV journey where the system checks whether the person interacting with the verification flow is a real, physically present human being at the time of the session.

Its purpose is to reduce the risk of impersonation and presentation attacks by verifying that the biometric sample comes from a live person rather than from a static image, a replayed video, a screen display, a mask, or another spoofing attempt.

In practical terms, this step guides the user through capturing a facial image or video sequence and submits that data for liveness analysis as part of the identity verification flow.

What happens during a biometry liveness step​

Biometric liveness step

A biometry liveness step is responsible for:

  1. Prompting the user to start the capture

    • The user is informed that a face capture or short video capture is required.
    • The interface explains how to position their face and follow the instructions.

  2. Capturing biometric data

    • The system captures the facial data needed for the liveness check.
    • Depending on the journey, this may include:
      • a selfie image
      • a short selfie video
      • a guided capture sequence
      • one or more retry attempts if capture quality is insufficient

  3. Checking capture usability

    • The step verifies that the captured biometric sample is suitable for analysis.
    • Typical expectations include:
      • face clearly visible
      • sufficient lighting
      • limited blur or motion
      • correct framing
      • no major occlusion preventing analysis

  4. Running liveness analysis

    • The captured data is assessed to determine whether it originates from a live person present during the session.
    • This is intended to detect common spoofing or presentation attack scenarios.

  5. Preparing data for subsequent checks

    • The resulting biometric sample and liveness outcome can then be used by later steps in the verification journey.
    • For example, they may support facial comparison against the identity document portrait or feed into broader risk evaluation logic.

Why this step matters​

The biometry liveness step is a key control in document-centric identity verification journeys.

Even if a document appears valid, the verification process still needs confidence that the person presenting it is physically present and not attempting to bypass the system using fraudulent media or artifacts.

A well-designed liveness step helps improve:

  • fraud prevention
  • resistance to spoofing attempts
  • trust in remote identity verification
  • automation reliability
  • overall journey security

In short, this step helps confirm that the biometric evidence comes from a live participant and not from an artificial or replayed source.