NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] More on Google "Search by Image" and Facial Recognition Realities
More on Google "Search by Image" and Facial Recognition Realities http://j.mp/mkpZrt (This message on Google Buzz) - - - To follow-up on my posting earlier today re Google's announcements this morning: http://j.mp/ikGJLJ (Google Buzz) I have confirmed what I suspected -- Search by Image does *not* use facial recognition technology. This is in keeping with Google's stated current position regarding the use of such systems (that is, facial recognition is not deployed by Google at this time). A couple of points I'd like to clarify based on queries I received after my posting. First, even without facial recognition (which is a complex area unto itself), you may get matches in Search by Image (as has also been the case for Google Goggles) for famous photos or paintings. So, for example, a classic portrait of President Kennedy's face is likely to have been uploaded by many users over time, and your image search using that same portrait or photo as input may be likely to match those other copies. But this is matching based on the overall characteristics of the images, just like any other image. Facial recognition, on the other hand, described simply, especially seeks to match faces that are *not* in identical images. In other words, facial recognition algorithms seek to identify Person A based on a random image of that person (e.g., from a live video feed), using the parameters of that face as intelligently analyzed. This is not the same as matching two different copies of, say, the classic Playboy Marilyn Monroe centerfold. That said, we are fooling ourselves if we believe it is actually possible to "bottle up" facial recognition technology forever in any contexts. Facial recognition tech of various quality levels *will* eventually (and sooner rather than later) be broadly deployed in all manner of venues -- some of them extremely useful in positive ways -- and some of them likely risky from a privacy standpoint. Some situations will be mixtures of both. It would very much be in our best interests to be spending more time now working on the policy implications of *how* this technology will be managed and reasonably controlled, not on trying to broadly prevent its use. Off topic: I've been booked back onto "Coast to Coast AM" radio tonight for a couple of minutes during the news segment (just after 10pm PDT), to very briefly discuss Facebook's loss of U.S. users. Finally, a happy story! http://j.mp/aa2R2N (Coast to Coast affiliate stations list) --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Google Buzz: http://j.mp/laurenbuzz Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com