Facial occlusion: how Dataleon makes identity recognition reliable thanks to AI

Introduction

La facial recognition identity verification has become a pillar of KYC (Know Your Customer).
But one detail that is often underestimated threatens its reliability: facial occlusion — in other words, when the user's face is partially hidden (glasses, mask, hand, shadow, etc.).

Chez Dataleon, artificial intelligence detects and fixes these occlusions to ensure accurate, fast and compliant identification to the highest safety standards.

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1. What is facial occlusion?

THEfacial occlusion Refers to any element that Hide part of the face during a biometric check:

• Objects: sunglasses, masks, helmets, scarves
• Movements: hand in front of the face, hair over the eyes
• Outdoor conditions: low light, unfavorable camera angle

These obstacles disrupt facial recognition algorithms and can cause false negatives (identity not recognized) or false positives (bad correspondence).

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2. Why is KYC a major issue

In a digital KYC process, users often have to take a photo of their face and ID.
If the face is partially masked:

• The check fails
• Customer has to start over (poor user experience)
• The risk of fraud is increasing (modified photos, deepfakes, etc.)

That's why solutions like Dataleon incorporate automatic occlusion detection even before facial validation.

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3. How Dataleon detects and manages facial occlusion

Dataleon's technology is based on models fromAdvanced image analysis AIs :

• Real-time detection of masked facial areas
• Assessment of occlusion rate (e.g. 30% of the face covered = automatic rejection)
• Adaptive recognition: the AI adjusts according to the type of obstacle (mask, light, reflection, etc.)
• Immediate user feedback: “Please remove your glasses to continue”

Thanks to this approach, Dataleon guarantees a smooth and secure verification, even under complex conditions.

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4. The benefits of AI-based occlusion detection

• ✅ Increased precision : eliminates identification errors due to partially visible faces
• ⚡ Seamless user experience : immediate detection and simple visual instructions
• 🔐 Enhanced security : prevents the use of modified images or deepfakes
• 🧩 Universal compatibility : works on mobile devices, webcams or built-in cameras

Dataleon combines this technology with its KYC/KYB solutions to offer a Seamless biometric onboarding.

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5. The impact for businesses and fintechs

Financial, mobility and insurance players now require identification solutions:

• Dependable : reduction of unjustified discharges
• Compliant : aligned with AML5 and eIDAS standards
• Automated : can be integrated via API or SDK into existing applications

With Dataleon, occlusion detection becomes a invisible but essential standard to the reliability of the KYC process.

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Conclusion

Facial occlusion is no longer a simple technical detail: it is a biometric security criterion determinant.
Thanks to its visual analysis AI, Dataleon automatically detects partially hidden faces, ensuring faster, safer, and more compliant verifications.

💡 Result: a strengthened digital trust for businesses as well as for their users.

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