Face recognition tech: It’s big, but is it working well?

Isn’t it fun when our mobile camera detects faces in a cluttered image? Even faces of pets get detected at times, much to the joy of users. But this apparently harmless tech is creating some uneasiness in tech circles. Though it sounds odd, companies are citing some strong reasons for their concerns over face recognition.  

How does facial recognition work?  
Facial recognition technology identifies a person by capturing the face from a photo or video. The technology can work in real-time as well, i.e. as we are facing the camera. Its accuracy depends on advanced machine learning algorithms powered by deep neural networks that identify faces on the basis of existing database with the same information.  For example, in Google Photos or Apple Photos, the app tries to group photos of each person and asks users to identify the face. The phone camera apps base their recognition of faces on deep learning about what makes up a ‘face’.  

Why did face recognition start becoming a problem? 
Companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook have made it possible to use face recognition technology at a much bigger scale. Now it’s no more about just analysing photos from the library or camera. The technology is being outsourced on the sly to government and law enforcement bodies, as well as marketing agencies. This is without the consent of the user, so it has sparked a controversy quite naturally.   

Why did Facebook remove face recognition? 
Facebook’s facial recognition tool was only being used on the platform, as the company had stated in its terms and conditions for users. But the company settled a lawsuit recently in the state of Illinois in the US, where it paid nearly $550 million to a group of users who successfully argued that Facebook’s usage of facial recognition was violating the state’s privacy laws. This has made other companies and users concerned, given that Facebook has a bank of billions of photos and videos it might leak.   

What is Amazon’s take on face recognition? 
Amazon is facing criticism too for its Rekognition software, whose details have often been passed on to authorities, and often misused to maltreat ethnic minorities and non-White people in the USA.