Is Facial Recognition the Next Big Thing?

Dawson, Katherine., 104-008.,2/16/17., Is Facial Recognition the Next Big Thing?.

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Is Facial Recognition the Next Big Thing?

Is Facial Recognition the Next Big Thing

Introduction

By now, most people have seen the ads on T.V. for the new smartphones with facial

recognition. This new technology allows computers and devices to unlock and operate just by

recognizing your face. But with every new development, there comes hesitation. This new

technology is leaving people wondering whether their privacy and rights are being protected, and

what is to come for facial recognition. Facial recognition is a technology of the future and will

become bigger than it already is. With many companies looking to incorporate this feature into

their business, it is important that consumers know what they are dealing with.

Current Use

Facial recognition is being used in many ways. It can be found in almost any area these

days. It is used to identify people and authenticate them, paying for things, unlocking a phone or

computer and more. (Sturmer, 2017). Facial recognition is also being used for security reasons.

CCTV has been around for a while. Jake Strumer said that cities like Moscow already has

150,000 CCTV cameras in use. (Sturmer, 2017). It is used all over including in streets and public

places. Every time you walk into an area that has security it is almost guaranteed your face is

being scanned and stored in their system.

Apple recently introduced the iPhone X, which has a feature that allows you to unlock the

phone with your face. Similarly, Intel also came out with a facial recognition feature for their

computers. If you watch TV, you probably have seen the commercials with Jim Parsons in it,

introducing the technology.

Security Aspects

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Is Facial Recognition the Next Big Thing?

One thing that most people are concerned about, is if facial recognition is legal or not. Do

companies and other users have the right to scan your face without consent? According to Ben

Sobel, “both Illinois and Texas have laws against using such technology to identify people

without their informed consent.” (Sobel, 2015). For instance, if someone posts a selfie/picture on

a social media site, it is okay that their face is out there because they voluntarily posted that

picture. But when just walking in the street and they are caught by a camera, is it okay for their

face to saved to that particular system?

Another problem with security is what happens with that information? People want to

know whether their faces are on some database somewhere. Matthew Wall reports that, “The

Electronic Freedom Foundation believes the FBI already has 14 million face images on its

database and plans to increase this to more than 50 million.” (Wall, 2015). It is very possible

that your face has already been saved somewhere. But the question is by who? Who can get this

information? It is not possible to tell who exactly has our faces, because in this world people are

less than honest. It is hard to tell who is playing by the rules and respecting our privacy. (Wall,

2015).

Ethical and Social Implications

Many people are concerned with the furthering of facial recognition. It is still unclear

what a person’s rights are when it come to facial recognition. Can companies and business use

your face without your permission? Of course, in this day in age, some people are less than

honest and will use images of people’s face against them. Systems can be hacked and then the

hacker can have your face and use it for illegal means.

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Is Facial Recognition the Next Big Thing?

Another ethical problem with facial recognition is whether or not it is accurate. Kelly

Gates conducted research into this problem. In her article “Can Computers be Racist?” Gates

discusses how current systems are often messing up and not working fully. They always have the

implication that “it may not work perfectly now, but it very soon will, with more work and more

processing power, with better algorithms and more experience, and with more real-world

testing.” (Gates, 2015). Security and technology companies keep making this problem, but it

never seems to be fixed. Claims like these are always being made, but they have been made sine

2001, as Gates describes. It is now 2018, and there are still problems accruing.

Getting facial recognition to work properly is very important. In a case where it is needed

to recognize a criminal, it is important that it recognizes the correct person. Gates continues her

article by discussing the killing and identifying of Osama Bin Laden. She says that in order to

identify the body, they asked a former wife of Bin Laden, and a Navy Seal who killed him. The

problem with this is that these are two different types of identification (Gates, 2015). The two

people have different experiences with his face and have seen him in different context. So, the

question is, are their testimonies accurate? In her article Gates says, “They were not likely ever

in bin Laden's actual presence before then, so they were comparing images they had seen of his

face to the dead body. The woman, on the other hand, was someone who had obviously been in

bin Laden's immediate physical presence before.” (Gates, 2015). This brings back the issue of

whether facial recognition can be trusted. Even though in this situation no technology was used,

it can prove a point that it is flawed. Some people/technologies may create errors and mistake

others for someone they are not.

Future Use

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Is Facial Recognition the Next Big Thing?

Because many believe this is the newest thing, facial recognition is headed in a big

direction. Alessandro Acquisti listed possible future uses for facial recognition, like, in law

enforcement and advertising. In an interview conducted by BNN Canada in 2017, FaceFirst CEO

Peter Trepp said that future of facial technology will be geared toward the consumer. (2017,

October 18). Facial recognition is also being used to decide ad choices. Kate Torgovnick May

reported that “In 2012, an interactive ad for Choice for Girls was launched at bus stops in

London. These billboards were able to scan passersby, judge their gender and show them

appropriate content.” (May, 2014). Advertising companies will be able to identify and curve their

advertising towards consumers, based on the things they pick up through facial recognition.

Conclusion

In conclusion, facial recognition is a new and fast advancing technology. It is already

making its way through our phones. It will be everywhere, and everyone will use it. It is

important to know the risks and problems, so they can be easily fixed. Facial recognition is a

technology that will be common in the future.

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References

Sobel, B. (2015, June 11). Facial recognition technology is everywhere. It may not be legal.

Retrieved February 17, 2018, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-

switch/wp/2015/06/11/facial-recognition-technology-is-everywhere-it-may-not-be-

legal/?utm_term=.00906e10da0c

In this article, the author discusses the legality of facial recognition. He brings up several

cases where the legality of facial recognition has been tested. Sobel also talks about some ways

that facial recognition is being regulated by the law and what companies are doing with it. This

source is reliable, because of where it was published. It is a good source to use because it gives

good information.

Sturmer, N. T. (2017, October 05). How is facial recognition technology already being used?

Retrieved February 17, 2018, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-05/how-is-

facial-recognition-technology-already-being-used/9019526

This article discusses several topics regarding facial recognition. It talks about how it is

being used, what it actually is, and what some concerns are about facial recognition. It is a good

article to use because it briefly covers several points about the topics. The article is reliable

because the author is a technology reporter, so he more than likely knows the and follows the

advancement of facial recognition. It will be helpful to use in the research paper.

Wall, M. (2015, June 19). Is facial recognition tech really a threat to privacy? Retrieved February

17, 2018, from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33199275

In the article the author talks about the development of the security of facial recognition.

The part that I used for reference the rights of people and how their face is being used. It

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discusses what different companies and countries are doing to protect the rights of the people.

BBC is a reliable source for information, therefore this article is pretty reliable. I will use this

source to discuss ethical and security issues.

May, K. (2014, October 30). The future of facial recognition: 7 fascinating facts. Retrieved

February 17, 2018, from https://blog.ted.com/the-future-of-facial-recognition-7-

fascinating-facts/

This blog talks about the future of facial recognition. The author discusses several ways

that it could be used, but doesn’t go into all of the ways. It is a useful blog because it will help

writing about the future of facial recognition. It is also a reliable article because it was published

by TED. TED publishes many useful articles and has much credibility.

Gates, K. (2015). Can computers be racist? Juniata Voices, 15, 5-17. Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1773551587?accountid=14541

This article discusses whether facial recognition can be racists or not. It also discusses

how facial recognition technology works. This article would be helpful in determining the social

aspects of facial recognition. It is a scholarly article and therefore reliable. It is a good source to

have for this assignment.

(2017, October 18). Retrieved February 23, 2018, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHIgeZKhbU4

In this video the CEO of FaceFirst discusses the newest update in facial recognition

technology, the iPhone X. He also talks about security aspects facial recognition and how it

works. Although he doesn’t say what they are doing specifically, he hints at to some of the

advancements his company is making in facial recognition. It is a good source from a perspective

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of someone who is controlling what will happen. The CEO is a trustworthy informant and

therefore the information is reliable.