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​Forget passwords: Log in with facial recognition technology

Remembering user names and passwords for every website we use can be a pain, but now you could gain access by just looking at them
New technology enables users to log in with their eyes or face 01:23

The security eye scanners you see in spy movies can now get you exclusive access to your home computer.

Tony Antolino's company, Eyelock, uses iris scanning to replace typing in user names and remembering lengthy, complicated passwords. Antolino demonstrated the technology for CBS News' Alison Harmelin.

"We look into the mirror, it turns blue because it recognizes a live person, green because it authenticates and I've just logged into my Facebook account," he explained.

The $280 Myris device plugs into any computer and holds your passwords, so rather than trying to remember all the complicated character strings required for the various sites you visit, you can just peer into it to unlock your accounts.

Hector Hoyas is using a similar technology in his 1U app. For $9.99 a month, the app uses the camera in your smartphone to identify you with iris and facial recognition. It can input your passwords into your phone, and also link with your computer.

Neither can be tricked by a photo of the device owner. They only work with real faces and real eyes.

But the technology isn't always perfect. 1U can be finicky about lighting -- insufficient illumination can require twists and turns to get the recognition to kick in -- and Myris can have some laggy log-on issues.

Still, both Antolino and Hoyas believe this technology is the wave of the future, for computers and beyond. It's already in development for ATMs and security checkpoints.

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