facial recognition

Wed
08
Sep
John Lister's picture

Facebook AI Mistakenly Labels Men as Primates

Facebook has apologized after its recommendation system labeled two black men as "primates." It's the latest in a series of blunders by automated technology. The "recommendation" was shown at the end of a video posted by a British newspaper. It ... featured a white man in the United States phoning 911 to report "being harassed by a bunch of black men." The video did not include any content of references involving non-human primates. One user who watched the video shared a screenshot of a message created by Facebook that appeared at the end of the video, asking ... (view more)

Wed
03
Feb
John Lister's picture

iPhone Allows Facial Unlock While Wearing Mask

Apple is to let iPhone owners unlock their phone using Face ID even while wearing a face mask. But the setting is only available to people who also use an Apple watch. Facial recognition is now the primary way to unlock an iPhone rather than use a ... fingerprint or typing in a code. That's proven problematic in a time when people are increasingly wearing face masks in public places as a measure to reduce the risk of transmitting diseases. Unlocked Watch Allows Masked Match It was technically possible for Apple's system, Face ID, to "recognize a face" using a combination of the exposed top half ... (view more)

Thu
26
Dec
John Lister's picture

Report: Most Facial Recognition Software 'Racist'

Facial recognition software may be less accurate when dealing with non-Caucasian faces, according to a new study. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) noted the problem was likely the data used to "train" algorithms. The NIST ... examined 189 algorithms from 99 different developers, which it says is a majority of all commercially available systems. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) In the testing, it looked at two tasks. Specifically, they looks to see if two specific photographs are of the same person. In one example, it was to verify identity in order to unlock a phone or check a ... (view more)

Thu
24
Oct
John Lister's picture

Facebook Faces $35B in Facial Recognition Lawsuit

Facebook is set to face a $35 billion class action lawsuit over claims it used facial recognition tools without permission. The case will proceed despite Facebook's protest that no one suffered direct financial losses. The case is taking place in ... Illinois, where three individual lawsuits from 2015 were combined into a single class action case. It's based on Facebook using automated recognition on uploaded photographs. The way it works is like this: let's say that Bob uploads a photograph to Facebook, which also includes his friend Alice. After the upload is complete, Facebook scans the ... (view more)

Mon
17
Dec
John Lister's picture

Android Phone Security Duped by 3D Printed Head

A 3D printed model head fooled facial recognition security features on four Android phones. It's not exactly a practical blueprint for thieves, but does show the security of such features varies dramatically between handsets. Thomas Brewster of ... Forbes commissioned a 3D model of his head that combined data from 50 cameras. It cost him a little over £300, equivalent to around $375 USD. (Source: forbes.com ) Angle ...<a href="/news/10470/android-phone-security-duped-3d-printed-head" class="more-link">view more

Thu
06
Jul
John Lister's picture

iPhones Could Get Facial Recognition

Apple is working on facial recognition as an iPhone security measure. It's said to be have it ready for this year's iPhone 8, but may wait until the feature has been fully tested and complete. The idea is to replace fingerprint scanning for ... unlocking the phone. It's not yet confirmed if and when the facial recognition would be extended to other uses, such as using Apple Pay rather than have to type in card details or a PIN code. According to a Bloomberg source, the face unlock takes less than half a second to scan a face, confirm its identity and unlock the phone. The feature ... (view more)

Wed
17
Jun
John Lister's picture

Facial Recognition: Should Permission be Required?

Plans to draw up guidelines for how firms use facial recognition technology have fallen apart after civil liberties groups withdrew from talks. They say businesses aren't making a serious offer at an acceptable compromise. Businesses and consumer ... groups have been taking part in facial recognition guideline talks since early last year. They've been organized by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a government agency. The idea behind the talks was to avoid the need to draw up and implement legislation, something that could be politically tricky. The ... (view more)

Mon
02
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Facebook Insists It Can Use Your Pictures in Ads

Facebook is planning to use profile pictures to automatically recognize users when they appear in photos taken by somebody else. The firm has also made it clear to users that it has every right to use members' pictures in its own advertisements ... without compensating them in any way. The proposed changes are detailed in a Facebook post that, following a court order, more clearly explains how the site uses data from its users. Facebook already uses facial recognition software but in a more limited manner. Once you have been "tagged" in a photograph (that is, somebody has labeled you as being one ... (view more)

Mon
20
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Google Glass: Congress Alarmed by Privacy Issues

Eight members of the United States Congress have written to Google demanding the company address privacy issues involving its Google Glass project. The device, which essentially blends a smartphone with a pair of spectacles, has raised questions ... about data handling. The letter comes from the Bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus, which doesn't have any formal powers but offers elected officials a way to discuss topics they consider important. (Source: house.gov ) It's clear from the letter that members of Congress are suspicious of Google. The letter points to the controversy surrounding ... (view more)

Tue
11
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

FBI $1B Facial Recognition Program Launches in 2014

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is going ahead with a $1 billion program that will help it find persons of interest more rapidly. Between now and 2014 the money will be used to upgrade the FBI's facial recognition system and national ... fingerprint database. Officially, the upgrading program is called "Next Generation Identification" (NGI). The idea has been percolating for at least two years. In 2010, FBI representative Richard Vorder Bruegge first discussed the bureau's desire to use facial recognition technology to "identify subjects in public datasets." Bruegge ... (view more)

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