Facial recognition technology is generating lots of excitement. Yet, it is also very controversial around issues like privacy, reliability, possible bias and lack of regulation. As a result, businesses must be aware of the potential disadvantages of facial recognition.
There is much criticism about the use of facial recognition technology. Thus, interest groups tend to be very opinionated about it. The most vocal critics of facial recognition are even saying that it is “Orwellian” (Referencing the novel “1984” by George Orwell).
Prominent companies of all sectors are making significant investments in facial recognition. Hence, it seems the technology is here to stay. Still, in the social media age, businesses must prepare for a public relations minefield.
But what are the disadvantages of facial recognition technology that worry many people? Read on, and we will shed some light on them.
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What Is Facial Recognition Technology?
Facial recognition is a biometric technology that uses distinguishable facial features to identify a person.
Forbes.com
Face recognition technology has been around for some time. The US government is trialing it since the 1990s. Even so, recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning allowed the launch of commercial applications.
How does it work? Well, the system scans your face to map its distinguishable features. Afterward, face recognition compares these “face maps” with other images, videos and data to identify you.
Face Recognition Online software components are challenging to develop in-house. As a result, it makes sense to buy this capability from specialized vendors, which, in turn, creates a market for software developers.
Would you like to know more about face recognition online? Check out our post: 7 Face Recognition Online Tools Ready to Use with your Apps and Products.
Like any technology, Face Recognition brings positives and negatives. Want to read about the pros of Facial Recognition? Check out our blog post: 6 Benefits of Facial Recognition Everyone Should Know.
Who Is Using Face Recognition Technology?
Government agencies around the world are rolling out applications with facial recognition capability. Some examples include:
- King Cross, a north London district, is using facial recognition to track thousands of people.
- At least three police forces in the United Kingdom (UK) have been trialing the technology since 2015.
- Some police departments in the United States(US) are ordering face recognition software from vendors.
- The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) aims to scan the faces of 95% of people leaving the US via airports.
- Many airports and airlines from Asia to Europe have implemented the technology for security purposes.
Organizations of all sectors are adopting facial recognition fast. Thus, there is a lingering risk of not planning for all unintended consequences.
In the following section, we discuss facial recognition risks to businesses, society and individuals.
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6 Disadvantages of Facial Recognition
1.- Cons of Facial Recognition in Society
There are some worries that Face Recognition allows governments to undermine privacy rights.
In countries without personal freedoms, governments have no limits to using the technology as they see fit. As a result, they could spy on their citizens and single them out for what they say or whom they meet.
Could face recognition in the hands of tyrannical governments lead to an Orwell’s 1984-like dystopia? Many people think so, and they are pointing it out everywhere they can.
In democratic countries, parliaments can develop laws to prevent abuses. Yet, people are still concerned. As mentioned in the previous section, in the US, police have already used facial recognition to match faces recorded by CCTV in public spaces with those of police databases. Although it seems a legitimate use, the line that separates that from what could constitute violations of privacy is fragile.
What if rogue elements inside government agencies misuse face recognition to get information? And then using it to pursue private agendas or even to sell it to interested parties. That’s what got some people concerned.
Who will hold the data? Under what circumstances government agencies will share it? How will the technology factor in guaranteeing due process under the law? These are questions that don’t have an answer yet.
2.- Individual Privacy Concerns: Another of the Disadvantages of Facial Recognition
Police departments can use face recognition to track down criminals, with the help of the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems. Yet, they could also track anyone they choose, anywhere, anytime.
Facial recognition systems are capable of analyzing millions of images and videos from many sources. These include CCTV cameras, smartphones, social media and other online activity.
Some say that using face recognition is the same as taking your DNA samples or fingerprints without you knowing about it.
Face recognition enables mass identification by governments. Without proper limits, some worry about the abuse of privacy rights.
But what about if it is a private company that uses the technology? They could track you and know which stores you visit; they may even market specific products to you.
Businesses that plan to use face recognition need to address these concerns in a meaningful, organized way. Thus, avoiding sending the wrong message to customers and getting out of the spotlight of face recognition detractors.
Besides, although there are few regulations, some local laws are in place. Hence, companies need to check them out to ensure compliance. For example, the Biometric Information Privacy Act of the US state of Illinois requires companies to get consent to collect biometric data.
3.- Data Privacy Concern with Facial Recognition
Another concern about facial recognition is data privacy. Face recognition data includes millions of images and video files. Also, it consists of the “maps” created when systems scan people’s faces.
Ultimately, face recognition data gets stored in servers, usually accessible via the cloud. As with any other computer system, it is vulnerable to hackers.
With data breaches, face recognition information could fall into the wrong hands. Although systems are getting better at preventing identity theft, it could still happen.
Besides, companies could use the data you give them for research purposes. As a result, they stand to gain a profit from it, without your consent. Also, companies could share or even sell this data to third parties, allowing them, in turn, to recognize and track you.
Companies developing apps with face recognition should take data privacy risks into account. One way is by writing detailed privacy policies, getting customer consent and giving them the possibility of opting out of the program.
4.- Facial Recognition and Racial Bias
Another major disadvantage of facial recognition technology is the possibility of racial bias. Reports that facial recognition isn’t as effective at identifying people of color and women have surfaced.
One common misconception is that face recognition is inherently bad at identifying women or people of color. Yet, that is not the case. Facial recognition requires a dataset with a considerable quantity of examples to learn how to identify people. Unfortunately, the first implementations didn’t include enough people with diverse characteristics.
Tech companies need to perfect their facial recognition systems, feeding them diverse datasets with people of all races and genders, not just of a particular group. Otherwise, they risk widening the digital divide with groups already subject of exclusion.
Companies planning to acquire facial recognition solutions should do their due diligence. Thus, they must investigate if the dataset used to train the system is diverse enough.
5.- Low Reliability
Some advocacy groups claim that one of the disadvantages of facial recognition is its unreliability. According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), misidentifications are rampant.
At present development levels, some factors can throw off face recognition systems. For example, low illumination, image or video quality can lead to false positives.
Furthermore, slight changes in camera angles or personal appearance can cause errors. You cannot guarantee that a person will stand still or will not get a new haircut. Thus, these limitations represent a severe flaw.
Today, other biometrics methods, like fingerprint scans, are more reliable than facial recognition. Yet, as technology advances, the industry will surely perfect the technology.
In the meantime, those scouting possible applications must take these limitations into account. To protect their investments, they need to develop workarounds or limit the scope of their facial recognition projects.
6.- Lack of Regulation
Governments around the world are yet to pass legislation around face recognition. As a result, there is no consistent framework for its use and limits.
Yet, there are indications that legislators will follow suit. For example, as mentioned earlier, the US state of Illinois has already passed legislation on biometric identification. Also, some cities banned the technology for government use altogether, including San Francisco and Oakland in California.
Yet, the tendency is for the mass adoption of facial recognition, and regulators are not catching up fast enough.
Businesses adopting face recognition need to plan for risks arising from future regulations, which is challenging, as it is difficult to predict what their scope will be.
Take Action to Mitigate the Disadvantages of Facial Recognition
In this post, we have described many of the concerns about the disadvantages of facial recognition technology. These include governments overstepping their authority, privacy rights violations, racial biases and low reliability.
We invite you to take action and start talking about the disadvantages of facial recognition. Though not only to rant about it but also to think about solutions and ways to mitigate its cons.
Businesses developing applications with face recognition need to identify and mitigate these risks. They can do so by clearly defining the boundaries for their projects, developing privacy policies and managing communications with their customers.
Facial recognition technology is not all about its cons, as it also presents many advantages. Want to know more about them? Check out our post about the 6 advantages of facial recognition everyone should know.
Interested in integrating facial recognition into your software applications, check out our post about 7 Face Recognition Online Tools Ready to Use with Your Apps and Products.
Have you considered the advantages and disadvantages of facial recognition? Are there any more cons to the use of the technology that you would like to mention? Leave us a comment below.
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Further References
DashMagazine. The Threats and Benefits of Facial Recognition: What Should We Know?
Alex Ivankov. Facial Recognition: Advantages and Disadvantages. Published in profolus.com