Facebook stirs privacy ire with facial recognition

[IDemo]

Source: Computerworld

By Sharon Gaudin
June 8, 2011 04:47 PM ET

Facebook's move to enable facial recognition across its entire social networking site is raising some eyebrows - and possibly some legal woes -- over its privacy implications.

On Tuesday, Facebook announced in a blog post that it was working to make it easier for uses to tag photos of their friends and family members. To do this, it has been quietly rolling out facial recognition technology to a test group across the world's biggest social network since late last year.

That means Facebook's system will be able to recognize the faces of its 500 million to 600 million users worldwide. The company will be able to identify you simply by your face.

Facebook noted that starting in just a few weeks, its system will scan all photos posted to Facebook and will offer up the names of the people who appear in the frame. All of Facebook's users are automatically being added to the database.

Read more: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9217447/Facebook_stirs_privacy_ire_with_facial_recognition

[aquart]

1. Oooh, cops can slash their budgets and use Facebook.

[boppers]

2. Interesting tech.

Privacy note: If you don't want something public, don't put it on a gadammed website. Not rocket science.

[Duer 157099]

6. And what if a friend or family member does the honor for you

That's what I'm worried about, since I'm not a member myself, but what's to stop people who know me from posting my photo? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[boppers]

13. Uhm, this is pretty standard tradecraft.

Don't allow people to take pictures of you, if you don't want those pictures shared with others.

[Duer 157099]

14. Are you serious?

Have you ever been to a large family gathering, where everybody has cameras?

[boppers]

17. Yes, I'm serious. If you need to protect your face, don't show it.

If you want to avoid having your face published, do so.

[Duer 157099]

18. So not wearing full face covering is tacit agreement to have

my photo posted on the Internet? Really? Really? REALLY???

[boppers]

25. In the US, if you're in a public place, you can be photographed.

The EU is a tad different, but do you think all of these US folks signed permission slips?



If you're in a private place, you can ask people to not take photos, but they are under no obligation to comply (if it's their place instead of yours).

If you're thinking about going to a family reunion, and really don't want people to take pictures of you, either don't go, disguise yourself, or require all attending to give you veto rights on all images.

Or, maybe don't freak out about the fact that cameras are everywhere, and having a photo of you on the internet is not a big deal.

[Duer 157099]

28. See, that crowd there doesn't have individual annotations for each face

Don't you see the difference? I guess not.

[Xithras]

33. Unless the photographer knew them all, that wouldn't happen anyway.

You seem to be missing two important limitations of this technology:

1) Facebook only compares the faces in the image to your Friends list and people who you have either photo-tagged before, or who have been in photos that you were also tagged in. There has to be some sort of prior association between you and the photographer. A stranger can't just take your photo on the street, post it to Facebook, and have it tagged as you.

2) Facebook simply SUGGESTS the tags. It isn't automatically tagging anything, but is simply offering potential identifications to the uploader. You are ONLY tagged in the photo if the person uploading it confirms that the tag is correct.

And, as I said in my other post to you, the automatic tagging only occurs if you have a Facebook account. No account means no automatic recognition. They can still manually type your name in to identify you, but that's neither new nor controversial.

[Melissa G]

39. I hate having my picture taken.

I thought I was safe and there were no pictures on Facebook of me. My teenager said there were about 15 of them out there with me in the background that friends of hers had taken. I had no idea. I ALWAYS get out of the shot if I know someone is clicking. Still, at least 15 pics out there on Facebook without my knowledge or approval.

[CabalPowered]

19. Two things you can do

You can remove the tag with one click. And you can set your privacy settings so that if you are tagged, only you (and the Friend) can see the photo. But I might be mistaken on that.. I have mine set on "Only Me" but haven't tested it.

[Duer 157099]

20. I am not on Facebook

at least, not as a member. But many family members and friends are.

[Xithras]

30. If you're not on Facebook.

Then you can't really be tagged anyway. All they can do is upload your photo and enter your name with it...just like people have been doing on websites and blogs since 1993. Tagging images to a common record can ONLY happen if the person bein tagged is another Facebook user.

If your friends and family are putting your photos on the Internet without your consent, that's a problem between you and the people taking the photos. That problem is as old as the web, and isn't Facebook's fault.

[Duer 157099]

31. Sigh.

Yes, but what *is* new is the addition of facial recognition software, which is a powerful tool for transforming innocuous acts like posting a photo to a site, into something altogether different.

That's OK if people don't get it, many never do until it's too late. I just don't want to keep hearing how "oh, if you're not on Facebook, it won't affect you." That's bullshit, pure-D-bullshit.

[Xithras]

32. But I'm right. If you're not on Facebook, it won't affect you.

In order for the facial recognition software to recognize you, you'd need to have a Facebook account. Facebook can't automatically tag you if it doesn't know who you are. Even when people manually tag your photos, Facebook has no way of relating those manually tagged photos if you don't have a Facebook account.

In the world of computers, this is known as a Unique Key. If you have a Unique Key, any kind of data can be associated back to a particular person, from their finances to their facial structure. Without that Unique Key, there is no way to tell who is associated with what data. Search for your name in Google or using any of the personal information research sites on the Internet, and you'll quickly find that your name is probably shared by hundreds or thousands of other Americans. Without some sort Unique Key to determine which of you the data is to be associated with, they can't build any kind of useful information collection on you.

The Facebook Unique Key is your account ID. If you have a Facebook account and someone tags you, they can associate your photo with YOU as an individual. That allows them to start building a database of your facial features, which permits them to do automatic recognition.

If you don't have a Unique Key (a Facebook account), they don't have anything to associate those photos with. They can't automatically recognize you because they don't know who the heck you are, or whether you're the Bob Smith in Miami, Milwaukee, or Los Angeles. Because of that, Facebook doesn't even TRY to tag people who don't have accounts. Even manually, you can't tag the faces of people who don't have Facebook accounts. You can try, but their software will simply write the persons name into the photo description, instead of actually tagging them in the photo as an individual.

If you don't have a Facebook account, you're in no more danger than you were two years ago...or ten years ago for that matter.

[Duer 157099]

34. OK, so if a friend posts a photo of me to their Facebook page

and tags it with my name, and then somewhere else (perhaps another Facebook user) posts another, different, photo of me and tags it with the same name, are you suggesting that in the not-to-distant-future there won't be facial recognition software that will connect the two and the two tags into some massive database somewhere?

Because if anyone can't see that coming, then they lack vision and imagination, imho.

[Xithras]

40. Sure.

The technology actually exists for that today. Apple, as an example, bought Polar Rose last year and has incorporated their facial recognition technology directly into iPhoto, which can directly publish images to Facebook, Flickr, and other services with the face tagging pre-completed. The technology exists.

Facebook isn't implementing the technology that way, hasn't indicated any interest in doing so, and quite honestly has no reason to do so. Facebook exists for the sole purpose of sharing information and resources between its members...and for aggregating your interests so that they can push advertisements to your eyeballs. Facetagging facilitates that kind of sharing and encourages people to visit more often. It helps them make money.

Facetagging non-members doesn't make sense, which is why Facebook has never supported it. Non-members don't view ads, and aren't interested in their shared content. There would also be all sorts of accuracy problems that might tar its reputation...facial recognition is fairly straightforward when you're talking about limiting comparisons to a few hundred people in your social circle, but Facebooks 500 million members have collectively uploaded BILLIONS of photos onto their service. Doing a blind facial recognition search against that kind of dataset would be a bit of a nightmare, and would require an entirely new level of technology. Facebook has the resources to do it, but there is NO reason to do so, as its primary beneficiaries wouldn't be revenue generating Facebook users.

Businesses don't operate in order to be evil. Businesses operate in order to make money, and sometimes do evil things in the process. You presume that global facial recognition is an eventuality, but since there's no money in it, there's no reason to make that assumption.

[PatSeg]

21. The article gives instructions on how to "opt out"

But for those who want to turn the feature off, security company Sophos offers some how-tos:

First, go to your Facebook "Account" in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Then click on "Privacy Settings."
Next, click on "Customize settings."
Then go to "Things others share."
Beside the option titled "Suggest photos of me to friends. When photos look like me, suggest my name," click "Edit Settings."
Click on "Edit settings."
Then change it to "Disabled."
Don't forget to press "Okay."


http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9217447/Facebook_stirs_privacy_ire_with_facial_recognition

I posted the article at Facebook.

[CabalPowered]

41. Right

I had it disabled along with all the other invasive switches.

:hi:

[jmowreader]

42. The "Suggest photos of me to friends" line puts the lie to about half the posts here

Let's see...it says:

"Suggest photos of me to friends. When photos look like me, suggest my name."

Please tell me you don't think some police chief has already thought, "we've got all these mugshots of people with active warrants out, and our booking camera is digital so we've got JPEGs already. Why don't we get John over there, who lives on Facebook when he's home, to make a Facebook page for the department and put all these mugshots on it?"

[CreekDog]

12. other people can put photos of you on FB

have you actually used FB or are you just commenting on something you have no idea what you're talking about?

but that said, two points for you for another post opposing consumer/personal protections of personal information. because you always do.

:hi:

[boppers]

15. Well, see above (tradecraft)...

Yes, I've used FB. For a year or five. I know that people who are *not* me can be tagged as "me", and inanimate objects can also be tagged as "me" (which must be fun for recognition software).

"two points for you for another post opposing consumer/personal protections of personal information"

If it's personal, don't put it on the internet, on a postcard, or a poster in the local park, and then complain about it being "private". The internet is not private.

[RandomThoughts]

3. Bingo.

For those that don't know.

Anyone that shows up in anything thought spiritual is being called a terrorist and added to the 'database' from those that only see the nightmares and not the beauty.

They are trying to scorch the sky.


Which is the most hypocritical think in the world, becuase as they say it should have no merit or say in society, anything supernatural, they listen to it to target people, that listen to it.

Pretty ironic isn't it.

Doing the opposite of something, or doing what something says, becuase it says it is the exact same thing.

idiots.


Go after them, have fun with that :) :rofl:

And I am due beer and travel money and many experiences.


Point Break Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVk3mR2UhgI


X wings you have a GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that means running at them

Mike & The Mechanics - Silent running
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep7W89I_V_g




Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5JkHBC5lDs

Bonnie Raitt - I Can't Make You Love Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9Cu6GYqxo

Bonnie Raitt - Nick Of Time
http://www.123video.nl/playvideos.asp?MovieID=407128

Dire Straits - Walk of Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CknuCTRAW_I

[GentryDixon]

4. I wonder if I will be recognized?

[jdadd]

7. Heh Heh.....

That's what I did....My Dog has a face book page, I don't....LOL

[lbrtbell]

5. I guess Anthony Wiener is safe, then

It's not like he posted his FACE on Facebook...! :rofl:

[yoopertom]

8. Handy App

It comes in handy to tag your enemies with edited photos

[sandyj999]

9. I have never used my photo on Facebook. Usually it's a flower picture or one of my dogs. n/t

[bluedigger]

10. Note to self:

Do not do anything unlawful in the presence of a camera. Embarrassing actions are at my own risk...

[FLPanhandle]

11. If you are on Facebook to begin with, just give up on the idea of privacy

The two are mutually exclusive.

[Wind Dancer]

38. Absolutely!

I'm no fan of Facebook, to say the least.

[cutlassmama]

16. More reason to never have a Facebook account. This is bullshit.

Our freedoms are being taken away each day.

[boppers]

26. Are you in a high school yearbook somewhere?

Did somebody take your picture, and associate it with your name?

How about a driver's license, passport, or ID card?

[DeSwiss]

43. I too try to avoid going to websites that were funded by former members of the CIA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMWz3G_gPhU">Do You Have A Facebook?

[Zavulon]

45. ???

Facebook is free. You're not required to use it. When you lose THAT freedom, call us.

[Politicalboi]

22. Who didn't see this coming

Is this how he made all his money? Selling data that people willing put up on the internetS. Who woulda thunk it.

[boppers]

27. Facebook = Yearbook.

That was the whole starting concept. Everything flowed from there. People were willing to put names, faces, memories, in a "yearbook". People willing to "sign" yearbooks, give out contact information for getting together "over the summer", talk about themselves, etc.

[IDemo]

23. I've got an anonymous FB account

Only so I can look at the increasing amount of online content that requires it. No need for one otherwise.

[BeatleBoot]

24. Nothing to hide here...except...

I do have a big nose.


:+

[Xithras]

29. I don't get people who open Facebook accounts and then whine about privacy.

It's a social sharing site. Everything you put on there is intended to be viewed by others. If you don't want it shared, don't put it on Facebook. If you don't want ANY of your information shared, either open an anonymous account, or stay off the site completely.

[Zavulon]

46. Imagine how much better the world could be if

we could get people to understand that simple concept. There's too much whining about everything else to begin with, and every day I have to hear whining about Facebook, too.

I'm not on Facebook and never have been, because I don't want to post personal crap online. Anything you post online can and often does become available for anyone to see. If you don't like that, close your account or just don't open one to begin with.

[KurtNYC]

35. get ready for some wrongly ID'd people to go to jail

iPhoto tagged photos of one of my dogs as human faces. Technology always claims to do more than it really can.

[octothorpe]

36. While it's a cool technology and all that....

it's just another reason to avoid uploading images to facebook... I usually don't mind most of my stuff being tracked, but that just seems a bit screwy. I don't want some database of my facial features to be searchable and perhaps purchased at some point.

[BuelahWitch]

37. I always thought the purpose for tagging photos

was so that others would see them, because the Facebook feed moves so quickly and is often filled with crap. Why would I or anyone else tag our own photos with our own names? :shrug:

[Incitatus]

44. I could see this going even further in the future. Imagine every picture out there on the Internet

could be scanned with this technology. You got a picture of someone and you want to see every picture of them floating around out there, just load it into this new search engine and there you go.