Facial Recognition
Also known as: Face Recognition, Biometric Identification
AI technology that identifies or verifies individuals by analyzing facial features, raising significant privacy and civil liberties concerns.
Facial recognition uses AI to identify individuals by analyzing unique facial features—a technology with powerful applications and serious risks.
How It Works
- Detect faces in images or video
- Extract facial landmarks and features
- Create mathematical representation (faceprint)
- Compare against database of known faces
Applications
- Phone unlock: Face ID, face unlock
- Law enforcement: Suspect identification
- Border control: Passport verification
- Retail: Customer identification
- Social media: Photo tagging
Concerns
- Accuracy bias: Higher error rates for darker skin tones, women
- Mass surveillance: Tracking without consent
- Misidentification: False arrests documented
- Chilling effects: Deterring protest, free movement
- No consent: Scraped from social media (Clearview AI)
Regulation
Some cities (San Francisco, Boston) have banned government use. EU GDPR restricts biometric processing. No comprehensive US federal law exists.