Facial Recognition Technology Complicates Privacy Concerns
Image courtesy of Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
This week, facial recognition technology comes under the spotlight after a manager in the Los Angeles boutique Tarina Tarantino recognized a celebrity in her store after the fact. The celebrity was Mindy Kaling who is one of the stars from the hit TV show “The Office”.
It wasn’t until later that the manager Lauren Twissleman realized that she had a celebrity in the store.
A scenario such as this is what some high-end retailers wish to avoid. They would like to be able to detect when personalities enter their stores so that they can offer VIP treatment to them.
It has also been driving NEC IT Solutions based in the United Kingdom to test its latest facial recognition software in several stores located in the U.K., East Asia, and the United States.
The names of the test site stores remain undisclosed probably due to concerns by citizens with regard to their privacy.
Currently, technology exists that can track customers through wi-fi signals received by their smartphones. Even this has caused privacy concerns as the high-end Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom found out when it disclosed that it was actively doing this.
NEC IT Solutions believes that privacy concerns will not become an issue. The company’s vice president, Chris de Silva, told reporters that privacy issues have been dealt with.
He also expressed that celebrities and other famous personalities will be quite pleased at the VIP treatment they will get when their faces are automatically recognized.
The current facial recognition technology is not without its problems. Positive identification depends on posture, lighting, and facial expression.
The news also comes in the midst of a privacy breakthrough realized in the State of New Jersey this week. The state’s Supreme Court ruled that a warrant is required before tracking a person’s cell phone.
Advocates for cell phone privacy believe that this ruling will also be adopted by other state supreme courts. It can also set precedent to the handling of legalities related to privacy with regard to facial recognition technology.
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