Facial recogntion: Who's spying on you
Source: http://www.whoishostingthis.com/blog/2014/08/28/face-recognition/
Facial recognition software has come a long way in the past few years. While early face recognition software needed human input at every step, it’s advanced enough today that it can compare a single face against millions of faces on record in just a few seconds.
Thanks to facial recognition software like Face Unlock, the private date on your cell phone can be kept secure and accessible only to you. Criminals and terrorists on the run can be caught in record time whenever their faces appear on camera.
Some applications still have a long way to go, though. For instance, Face Unlock is not as secure as other phone locking methods, and the FBI has trouble matching faces in images that aren’t well-lit or looking at a face straight-on.
FastAccess Anywhere lets you use your face as a password to access any Web site that you choose.
You first browse to a site using the app's built-in browser. After you enter your login credentials and sign in, FastAccess asks if you want to save your username and password for that site. You can choose yes, not now, or never. If you opt to save your login information, the app snaps a picture of your face and asks you to select a secret shape as a backup.
FaceCrypt expands the facial recognition concept by offering you a vault in which you can store Web site passwords as well as documents, photos, videos, notes, and financial information.
You start by enrolling in the vault by using your face, a pattern lock, a traditional password, or all three. Assuming you choose facial recognition, the app snaps, records, and then confirms your facial features.
You then use your face to unlock the vault where you can add passwords, documents, and other content. For example, to add credentials for a Web site, type a description, username, password, and the site's URL, and then lock that account. To add a document, photo, or video, you can create a new one on your device or add one from Dropbox.
The development of facial recognition software is moving forward in leaps and bounds.
Google's purchase of Waze to improve mapping technology; it's debut will more than likely take place as the savior of Android's face unlock feature.
The face unlock feature came with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich back in 2011 and hasn't ever really hit its stride. In fact, it famously failed during it's first live demo. Research done at the University of Notre Dame back in 2003 found that, even with less mature sensors, 3D outperformed 2D in facial recognition. Now that sensors have had over a decade to mature, their capabilities should far exceed those of their 2D counterparts.
Google is not yet ready to attach Project Tango to the Android brand. According to a Google spokesperson, "Although Project Tango devices do run the Android operating system, the program is not an official Android product today. We’re still in early days of transitioning this technology out of the research labs into the hands of millions of people. While we may believe we know where this technology may take us, history suggests we that should be humble in our predictions."
Companies are coming up with more and more uses for the software, from dating websites matching users based on the looks of the exes, to advertisers displaying targeted ads based on how facial recognition software determines your age and gender.
But developing just as rapidly as facial recognition technology is the fear and suspicion of exactly how the new software will be used. With government violations of privacy all over the news today, it’s easy to understand the concerns.
Who exactly is recording your facial measurements and identity? Where are they tracking you, and how are they using all that data? Can we really trust those in power to use our data responsibly, and keep it secure from those who would abuse it? How can we protect our faces from ever-present cameras and scans?
Companies like CV Dazzle are discovering ways to fight back against facial recognition with custom hairstyles and makeup that baffle the software. But there may not be a guaranteed way to escape it completely. As long as facial recognition software is being developed and perfected, it’s important to keep informed about who is compiling your data and how they’re using it.
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/googles-real-purpose-for-tango-one-up-apples-fingerprint-scanner-with-3d-facial-recognition/
http://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-use-facial-recognition-on-your-iphone/