It's technology that has been dreamed about for years, only foretold as futuristic advancements. But are we ready for this?
In our modern world, people are statistics identifiable by either a name or a face. Most of the time they're friends you recognise; however, soon anyone might be able to find out who you are, where you're from, your age, your likes and dislikes - just by pointing a camera in your direction. Yes that's right, facial recognition software is a go and has been available using an app developed for Google Glass since February 2014. The app is called NameTag, and despite being pretty scary in its implications, it does have the ability to work very well. See the video below:
As the video shows, there are definitely some aspects that many people would view as positive benefits. The ability to find out more about a new person can be seen as an extra prevention against criminals, scam artists, or even people who lie on their dating profiles (we're kidding - mostly). The NYPD is already in beta-testing to determine how a few pairs of Google Glass can help them track down the bad guys.
That said, there are certainly a number of downsides to this kind of development. First and foremost, we have the 'creepy' factor. The idea that people could spot you on the street, at a bar or on public transport and immediately know your name and other details is something that most people are unequivocally NOT okay with. Google knows that Glass already has a low-grade creep factor since people can't tell if you're taking photo or video of them, so they've taken an interesting (though at this point ineffectual) step: barring facial recognition from official Google Glass apps.
It's a positive step, certainly, but since unofficial apps like NameTag still exist, the possibility remains more than a little disconcerting. We're not going to go heavy on the advice here, since this technology, its uses, and any regulation concerning those uses are all still developing. But the key takeaway is to think about facial recognition software and your social profiles. To prevent others from recognizing you with this type of app, you want photos of you online to be private if possible - so that facial recognition databases populated by the internet and social networks won't include you in the first place.
If you're interested in facial recognition technology and want to give it a try, check out www.keylemon.com. This service uses facial recognition for secure online authentication, and has an app as well. Not sure what to think? Why not Ask a Techie?
