Facial recognition technology is being increasingly adopted by various private companies and government agencies.
Whether it's scanning faces at airports before passengers board their planes, getting a look at fans before they enter the stadium to see the match, or helping authorities to track down who might have committed a crime, there are many ways that this technology is being used to serve a myriad of needs.
But is this a good thing?...
Aside from the privacy risks associated with a growing web of facial recognition being employed by governments, there are concerns for when these technology systems falsely identify innocent people; when they do they can easily destroy someone's life.
After he was locked behind bars on his first arrest for bank robbery, authorities were then allegedly able to corroborate his alibi and determined that he couldn't have committed the crime, because he was at work at the time. It was several acquaintances and his ex wife who allegedly made the calls to the police over that first robbery because they believed he looked like the man in the video surveillance.
After being released over that mistake, he was later arrested in the same year for a second robbery, and it was for this robbery that the facial recognition software had allegedly wrongfully identified him. Eventually, Talley was released.
Talley later on launched a lawsuit against the FBI and at least 12 Denver police officers for roughly $10 million, arguing that he was wrongfully arrested and that there had been excessive forced involved.
Prior to the first arrest, Talley had worked as a financial analyst and consultant, with a BA in business administration from University of Colorado. In their lawsuit, lawyers argued that Talley was subjected to excessive force, false imprisonment, false arrest, retaliation, and more. He went through tremendous physical, financial, and emotional trauma, over a serious case of mistaken identity.
Police worldwide are increasingly adopting the use of facial recognition technology, but just how reliable is this software?
In some instances it has been found to be wildly inaccurate and this poses a great risk to the privacy and freedom of the people. This technology has been improving in its ability to accurately detect faces but there are still serious mistakes that can be made and along with their failure are some very serious consequences.
As concerns for facial recognition software grow, it's also fueled the need for technology to enable a way around it.
And various entrepreneurs will be looking to cater to this need. For example, researchers in Toronto have been busy working on a tool that is able to jam facial recognition software, keeping you out of its sights, by distorting your personal images that you post online so that they hinder the facial recognition systems.
Those changes, that are implemented with an app that they've been working on, wouldn't be enough for the naked eye to notice, but they are enough to impact the success of the attempt to recognize the face.
Not everyone will be looking to get around it though. There are many people today who don't mind having their faces scanned, whether it's trying to log in at work, boarding a plane, or paying for some goods or services etc. You can find people who are willing to embrace what they see as a new level of convenience and efficiency that comes with facial recognition technology. This technology will undoubtedly be further incorporated into our everyday lives, from the banking sector, to retail, to healthcare, security, and a lot more.
