Headway Therapy Patients Forced to Scan Their Faces to Keep Getting Care

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Summary

Headway, a popular online therapy platform, will require clients and providers to undergo biometric facial scanning for identity verification, with no opt-out possible except leaving the platform, raising significant privacy concerns.

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# Headway Therapy Patients Forced to Scan Their Faces to Keep Getting Care Source: [https://www.404media.co/headway-therapy-facial-scan-biometric-data-identity-verification/](https://www.404media.co/headway-therapy-facial-scan-biometric-data-identity-verification/) Headway, a popular online therapy platform, says it will require clients and providers to undergo biometric scanning, and there’s no way to opt out other than leaving the platform\. On April 3, Headway sent an email to clients informing them of the upcoming requirement: “To make sure Headway stays a safe and reliable place to get care, you'll soon be asked to verify your identity by taking a picture of a valid government\-issued photo ID in your portal,” the email said, which a user shared with 404 Media\. “As part of this process, you'll also be asked to take a clear photo of your face to confirm your identity\. The facial image is never used for anything but identity verification\.”[The facial scan](https://help.headway.co/hc/en-us/articles/43891496595220-Verifying-your-identity-as-a-Headway-client?ref=404media.co#h_01KMRHMZV8M224J702CPHY410W)involves using your devices’ camera and moving your head from side to side\. ## This post is for paid members only Become a paid member for unlimited ad\-free access to articles, bonus podcast content, and more\. [Subscribe](https://www.404media.co/membership/) ## Sign up for free access to this post Free members get access to posts like this one along with an email round\-up of our week's stories\. [Subscribe](https://www.404media.co/signup/) Already have an account?[Sign in](https://www.404media.co/signin/)

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