Facial Recognition Software To Go Public That Allows Identification from Online Photos

Posted by ralph on August 23, 2010

Computer software that can scan images and then check those results against online photos and video is soon to make a public debut. Needless to say, privacy advocates are concerned. Andy Bloxham writes in the Telegraph:

The program works by scanning the relative positions of the eyes, nose and mouth and claims to be accurate in nine out of 10 cases. It can then search the internet for further images of the same individual and, in tests, unearthed untagged photos which had not previously been seen by some of the people in them.

The managers of Face.com, which created the software, told the Sunday Times that 5,000 developers were already using it. Gil Hirsch, its chief executive officer, said: “You can basically search for people in any photo. You could search for family members on Flickr, in newspapers, or in videos on YouTube.”

Such software has previously been the domain of Governmental organisations such as the UK Border Agency or inside social networking platforms. Proponents of the technology said it could enable families to unlock their history or trace those lost in humanitarian disasters such as the floods in Pakistan.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said there were no legal restrictions on the use of facial recognition software.

Read More: Telegraph