In the fast-paced world of technology, one topic has captivated my attention: facial recognition technology. A technology that in many ways can be seen as positive and potentially even profound. For instance: finding a young missing child by recognizing her as she is being walked down the street, aiding the police in identifying a potential terrorist where you’re attending a sporting event or an app that tells a person who is blind the name of the individual who has just walked into a room to join a meeting.
Facial recognition technology has seamlessly integrated itself into my daily routines. From unlocking my smartphone to passing through airport security, my face is scanned and processed for various purposes. The proliferation of surveillance cameras and smart devices has elevated the use of facial recognition to unprecedented levels (McMahon, 2023). Yet, with this convenience comes a slew of concerns. Imagine a government tracking everywhere you walked over the past month without your permission or knowledge. Or imagine the stores of a shopping mall using facial recognition to share information with each other about each shelf that you browse and product you buy, without asking you first.
The increasing use of facial recognition technology raises valid worries about personal privacy. As our facial data is collected, questions about data security and potential misuse begin to surface. How do I know if my information remains protected from unauthorized access? Is our facial data is stored in databases? Can it become a prime target for malicious hackers? So many question that we as consumer do not know the answers of, underscoring the urgent need for robust security measures and ethical AI practices.
Thus, perhaps as much as any technological advance, facial recognition raises a critical question we must answer first: what role do we want this type of technology to play in everyday society?
References
McMahon, I. R.-J. & L. (2023, October 5). Ai facial recognition: Campaigners and mps call for ban. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67022005
Great blog post! I fully agree with your statements. I also wonder how this technology could affect us as a society or as individuals. Another question I might think you find interesting is: where do we draw the line for using or not using this technology, and will this line be moved over time because we use it more often? Lastly, China is already using this technology to its fullest. China publicly shames people for crossing the road when they cross while red lights are on and uses the technology to get into buildings like schools or other places (I find it scary to show my face when I enter a building at Erasmus or the supermarket, for example).