Facial recognition technology is rapidly advancing at a pace that many security experts haven’t even fully processed. In the near future, facial recognition software will be able to recognize you from a single glance and act accordingly—in some cases, with an alarming degree of accuracy.
As it stands, most of this technology is still in its testing phases. However, once it becomes commercially available and accessible to consumers, we can expect rapid adoption across all sectors.
From banking and retail security to security cameras and driverless cars, this technology will soon be integrated into many facets of our lives. Let’s take a closer look at what this means for security and privacy:
Facial Recognition Technology 101
Facial recognition is the process of converting faces into digital representations. It’s based on the idea that human faces are unique. To identify people, a computer system captures images of faces and compares them to existing images.
If a face is recognized, the computer system is able to identify the person. This process isn’t foolproof. Computer system aren’t able to identify faces with perfect accuracy. This means that some computers will “misidentify” a face or two.
Facial Recognition Software can be integrated into Security Systems
To truly integrate facial recognition technology into existing security systems, a vendor would have to have an API(or integration API) with a security system manufacturer. If the API is there, the facial recognition software can work with the computer vision algorithms to “read“ faces in order to identify people and log them into the system. While this technology is in its early stages, it could be a few years before we see this become a common feature. If it does become available, it could have a huge impact on the security industry.
Facial Recognition Software can be Used to ID People for Security Purposes
Once facial recognition software has been integrated into security systems, it opens the door for many new security uses. For example, a facial recognition security camera could be set up to recognize a “favorite person” and automatically log them into their computer. Or a facial recognition security camera could be used to identify a person who has been identified and then be able to automatically push alerts that notify the owner that someone is trying to enter the building.
One possible downside to this is that with these types of systems, it’s important that the system be continually trained and kept up-to-date in order to identify new people correctly. If the system isn’t trained correctly, it could be prone to more mistakes than normal.
Facial Recognition Software can be Used to Automate Security Processes
Automated security systems are already in use. An example is a security guard system that is able to recognize people and log them into a computer system. In this case, facial recognition software is being used to identify people and log them in. The security guard is then able to check a person’s ID and make sure they are allowed entry. Once facial recognition technology is fully commercialized, it could be used to automate other security processes.
For example, an automated facial recognition security camera could be used to check tickets and verify that they are genuine. A facial recognition security camera could be used to automatically check tickets against a database of those who are allowed to enter the building.
Facial Recognition Technology is Already Being Used in Security and Privacy Contexts
To better understand how quickly facial recognition is advancing, it’s worth looking at some of the areas in which facial recognition technology is already being used. – Facial recognition is being used to identify people for security purposes. A popular example comes from China, where facial recognition technology is being used to identify people who commit crimes and sentence them to jail according to the gravity of their crime. Another example is the use of facial recognition technology in airports.
Facial recognition is used to identify people so that they don’t need to be screened with multiple security checkpoints.- Facial recognition is also being used in other privacy-related contexts—for example, to provide anonymity to protesters who want to avoid being identified by police. Facial recognition technology is being used to create masks that mask a person’s identity.
This technology is also being used to create a masking algorithm that masks the person’s face so that it’s harder for the facial recognition software to recognize them.
Conclusion
While facial recognition technology is still in its early stages, it’s clear that it will be a major game-changer in the security space. By 2020, it’s expected that nearly half of all CCTV cameras will have facial recognition software. And by 2025, it’s expected that all CCTV cameras will have facial recognition software. While these expectations are based on current technology, it’s easy to see how they will only increase as the technology becomes more widely available and accessible. And once it does, expect to see facial recognition technology integrated into many facets of our lives.