DocAndersen
The reality of facial recognition large tech companies have stopped selling facial recognition to the United States police forces effective this week. But the problem isn’t a facial linking mission that is sold by large tech companies always. The problem is the fact that anyone with enough computer application development skills can build a facial recognition solution. The reality of regulation is you can control the things that can’t be regulated, but you can’t control the things you can’t see. So the good news is that large technology companies will no longer sell facial recognition software. But there is still much we cannot see.
First, I applaud the tech companies that are now saying they will not sell facial recognition software to the government that is a high starting point. The large companies are saying that they will not sell the software until there is a logical and structured legal framework for what that software can and cannot do. The issue isn’t the software. While this is an excellent first step, it, in the end, is only one step. The item has three distinct sides.
- The image of you captured
- The facial recognition software used by government groups including law enforcement
- The facial recognition software used by entities that are not bound to EU or US laws
The first one is not addressed by the stopping of companies selling Facial recognition. My image is captured regardless of the software being installed or not being installed. The second one in the EU and the US right now is under fire. From the concepts of controlling the Covid-19 virus (scanning a group of tourists to see if any of them have a fever) to capturing pictures at custom’s sites and determining via facial recognition of that person should be allowed in the country. Those exist today (the first two), and while limiting the sales of the software today is the first step, you still don’t do anything for all of the pictures of me stored in all the camera systems I’ve walked by in the past five years.
What scares me isn’t governments abusing systems like this? It is the reality of someone building a facial recognition system, and then hacking into cameras around the city. The EU and the US are pushing for legal controls for facial recognition, but some countries aren’t. Some groups aren’t. It scares me that we are focused on one of three issues. The significant first step, but we need more steps!
This work is Copyright DocAndersen. Any resemblance to people real or fictional in this piece is accidental (unless explicitly mentioned by name.)
-
Question of
Do you own the image of your face?
-
Yes
-
No
-
-
Question of
Privacy doesn’t end when you leave your house, right?
-
Yes
-
No
-
-
Question of
Like climate change we need a unified international treaty for this, right?
-
Yes
-
No
-
Q: DO YOU OWN THE IMAGE OF YOUR FACE?
Yes (2 votes) – 67%
No (1 votes) – 33%
Q: PRIVACY DOESN’T END WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR HOUSE, RIGHT?
Yes (2 votes) – 100%
Q: LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE WE NEED A UNIFIED INTERNATIONAL TREATY FOR THIS, RIGHT?
Yes (2 votes) – 100%
Thank you for the information. Anything like that can also be used with ill will and I wonder if someone could also steal someone’s facial identity
i suspect the answer to that question is a very long article. Today facial rec keys on 6 core-specific features. As the programs get better it will allow them to focus on 15 or more.
so the easy answer is, it is possible today, but not likely in the future.
Unfortunately, whatever invention there is, there will always be people who will use it in a malicious way.
that is the sad reality, those people already have the ability to do facial rec they just don’t have the government’s databases of pictures.
I think that’s a good move. We never know how they use it.
i can see both sides, I am not sure this isn’t more of a publicity stunt by the companies.
Good to know this, I hope we own our faces! For now anyway.
i truly do hope we do, it makes me a little nervous as I walk by cameras.
Somebody is always watching.
that is the reality of our world, its why i wonder what the looters and people burning down buildings expect to happen.
at some point, that match being lit will show up on a cellphone video.
if you refresh the pool options reappear!
My apologies the title should be
Amazon, Microsoft and Google will no longer sell facial recognition software to law enforcement agencies…