Liveness
Active vs passive liveness
Choose between user-prompted and silent liveness checks.
iLive supports two liveness modes. Both return the same verdict format and both produce an ICAO photo on a pass. The difference is what the user does during the check.
Side by side
| Dimension | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| User interaction | 3–6 challenges (blink, turn, smile, …) | Hold still for ~3 seconds |
| Perceived duration | 8–15 s | 3–5 s |
| Friction | Higher — user must follow prompts | Very low — feels like a selfie |
| Defences | Full anti-spoof + challenge response | Full anti-spoof, no challenge |
| Typical pass rate | Slightly lower on first try | Higher on first try |
| Best against | Replay videos, coerced users, shoulder-surfing | Photo and print attacks, 2D replays |
| Accessibility | Requires motor control for challenges | Easier for users with reduced mobility |
| Default in v1 API | Yes | Set mode: "passive" |
Both modes run iLive's anti-spoof, deepfake, and motion-consistency layers. Passive skips the interactive challenges; it does not skip anti-spoof.
When to use active
- High-risk transactions. Wire transfers, new credit lines, reset of high-value credentials.
- Regulated workflows where an auditor will ask "how did you prove the user was conscious and cooperating?" Active challenges give a crisp answer.
- Adversarial environments where coerced-user attacks are a concern. A live blink is harder to coerce than a passive stare.
When to use passive
- Onboarding. The user is brand new and has zero tolerance for friction. Passive dramatically lifts completion rates.
- Re-authentication. Returning user reopening the app; you already have history on them.
- Accessibility-sensitive flows. Customers with limited mobility can find head-turns and blinks tough on demand.
- Recurring low-value checks, e.g. periodic presence confirmation.
A sensible default
If you're unsure, start with passive for onboarding and escalate
to active on a retry verdict or when the downstream risk model
flags the session. That gives you the best of both: high completion on
the happy path, hardened flow when it matters.
See also: Challenges for the full list of active prompts, and the KYC onboarding guide for a worked example.