Smartphones can track our movements, credit cards have a record of our purchases, and now, thanks to advances in facial recognition technology, companies and governments will have the potential to watch us wherever we go.
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Facial recognition technology has become far more sophisticated in recent years. Software now exists that can scan people’s faces – even from a distance or an obscure angle – and "recognise" that person by matching their facial features with an image from a database of photos.
Governments have started to compile extensive databases of images. The police have 18 million recorded mugshots in the UK, and the FBI’s Next Generation Identification system is expected to have a database of 51 million photos by the end of this year. But private companies are also able to recognises customers’ faces. For example, Facebook’s facial recognition technology means that users can already be automatically tagged in uploaded photos. The program is being enhanced to recognise people even when their faces are turned away from the camera, by identifying them from their clothing and posture.
Governments have started to compile extensive databases of images. The police have 18 million recorded mugshots in the UK, and the FBI’s Next Generation Identification system is expected to have a database of 51 million photos by the end of this year. But private companies are also able to recognises customers’ faces. For example, Facebook’s facial recognition technology means that users can already be automatically tagged in uploaded photos. The program is being enhanced to recognise people even when their faces are turned away from the camera, by identifying them from their clothing and posture.
