Have you already heard about this software? Well, it might be time to get acquainted with him as you might be his next victim. Facial recognition software, while controversial, we think it’s safe to say is here to stay.
We would like to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly. We hope you find our thoughts interesting, informative, and most of all, entertaining.
Here we go!
First, we are going to explain how it works. You can’t do anything before you have a photo uploaded to your computer. Once you have it activated, you can use the software, which scans the image, calculating the position of the eyes, nose and mouth to check the results with photos and videos on web pages (for example, Facebook or YouTube) or the Internet. . itself. Software developers and managers claim that the software is 90% accurate.
Who is using this software? The UK Border Agency for one. Imagine how useful it could be to the police when searching for and identifying fugitives. They are also interested in how organizations such as the Red Cross can benefit from this software to find people lost in natural (or man-made) disasters. Of course, this means that somehow the missing persons had access to the Internet and posted their photos online. We don’t mean to knock down the popularity of Facebook or My Space, but we’re willing to bet that many corners of the world, known only for weather or military calamities, don’t have access to the Internet, let alone a personal or professional profile. share with your colleagues or friends.
So now that we’ve discussed how useful major emergency and humanitarian organizations might find this software in the event of an earthquake or invasion of a neighboring country, let’s move on to another type of invasion (and almost everyone’s favorite topic of discussion): privacy invasion.
Google is already using its own program, Picasa, which allows you to organize your photos by tagging matching faces; and Facebook has Photo Finder. However, there are two sides to this dilemma.
Privacy protection supporters point out that employers could use this software to control the people they are considering hiring; or existing employees. And, while you may define what you do in front of your hundred closest Facebook friends as your “private life,” if your boss ever has access to your photos, he might consider a drunken amateur pole dancing a display of lack of judgment. (and you can find another, more legitimate reason to fire you), even if you are a great dancer!
On the other hand, some say this would be a nice additional feature for companies to use when conducting background searches on potential hires. Or for general people to take a look at your overly quiet neighbors, that seemingly sweet babysitter, or your kid’s day camp counselor. You see where we’re going with this, right? Maybe the person you’re looking for hasn’t done anything illegal. per sebut if you see the photos of your friend’s “responsible” son at the most recent frat party he attended, you might think twice about letting him watch the house while you go on vacation.
Our opinion is simple. Be careful what you do, even when you think no one is looking. Technology sometimes goes in a direction that we’d rather it not go, but the fact remains that those super-smart software engineers will keep “going there” for various reasons. You probably already know why, so we don’t have to go. there.
Your private life is not so private anymore, even if you were the one choosing which photos and videos to post (or perhaps more importantly for some of you, which ones not to post!) You are, thanks to technology, friends, family. and any stranger pointing their camera lens at you, a public person, so accept it!
One final thought: Table Dancing: A “Kodak moment” or an “I’m going to get fired” moment. You choose.