You do not usually question the invasion of privacy when you upload and image and Facebook finds and tags people in it automatically. However, when you realize that with facial recognition technology you could be tracked walking on a street you start thinking about the measures and impacts of this technology. Like every technological invention, facial recognition technology also bores some pros as well as cons. In addition, here in this write-up, we are going to address some of the benefits and the dark sides of this modern technology.
What is Facial Recognition Technology?
For those who do not know yet, Facial Recognition technology is the invention of a biometric technological system that uses facial features to identify and distinguish individuals from one another.
We all are using or are being used by facial recognition technology. However, not many of us have complete knowledge of the technology and the factors attached to it. For instance, when you unlock your phone using your facial features it is a composition of facial recognition technology. Even Taylor Swift used the technology in May 2018 at her Rose Bowl Concert to make sure her known stalkers do not enter the gate. Other than this, facial recognition technology is being assisted on multiple platforms but people have less knowledge of its actual impacts on society.
According to Allied Market Research, the facial recognition market is expected to grow $9.6 billion by the end of 2022. This shows that nothing can stop facial recognition technology in being part of our society. However, to have the optimum information on the technology is up to us.
So now that we know what facial recognition technology is and how it is being used in our daily lives, let us understand the phenomenon better by having insights regarding its pros and cons.
How Facial Recognition Technology Benefits Society
There are a couple of major ways facial recognition may be used for the good of humanity.
Helps Fight Safety and Security Issues
Perceived as a long due solution for law and security issues, facial recognition has proved itself as a major innovation to fight many safety and security issues. For instance, in August 2019, New York caught an accused rapist within 24 hours with the help of facial recognition technology. The 27-year old criminal was taken into custody for forcing a woman into sex at knifepoint.
Having said this, facial recognition technology is also being considered by store owners who think that police don’t have time to fight petty crimes like shoplifting. These store owners in the United States used the technology to identify people entering and leaving their stores.
The Ability to Process Faster
Facial recognition technology majorly benefits companies and organizations that seek face identifying technologies that work fast.
Living in an era where increasing cyber-attacks and highly diligent hackers have made it hard to fight crimes,it has become necessary for companies to have a fast processing security system. Facial recognition technology in this regard is both secure and fast processing technology. The technology not only identifies subjects using facial features it is also hard for criminals to fool the technology and have a safe exit from the crime scene.
Not only does the facial recognition technology helps in fighting security loopholes, its fast processing system, and seamless integration help companies in achieving a high-level of security and management. In collaboration with facial recognition technology and Cox Internet, organizations in Charlotte can achieve productivity and seamless workflow by making the workplace secure and competent in all manner.
As we said above, technology has always come with dark sides. Therefore facial recognition technology has also carried some pros with it.
How Facial Recognition Technology is a Potential Threat to Society
It is fast, it is accurate, it is secure but it has its dark days.
Privacy Breaching
While facial recognition technology facilitates law enforcement agencies and government in catching criminals, it can also allow them to track down citizens.
The question emerges here is that who will make sure that the technology is used for the right purpose and not for tracking people anytime and anywhere. These privacy concerns have emerged in people’s minds who already have doubts regarding the US government, as they believe it keeps citizens’ data stored.
Identification Vulnerabilities
Facial recognition technology known for its accuracy often encounters errors that make us doubt its efficiency.
A slight change in camera angle or minor changes in appearance such as a new haircut makes the person invisible to the camera for identification purposes.
This incapability and flaws of facial recognition technology cause some serious concerns as it might harm an innocent person who can be ill identified as a criminal while the actual criminal walks freely with his new haircut.
Summary
Every technological invention has its pros and cons. While Facial recognition technology provides many benefits to society, it can also harm it in several ways. We have mentioned some of the ways through which facial recognition technology benefits and harms society in the write-up above.
