Facebook can see you even when you can’t be seen

Facial recognition software is becoming the norm now, but Facebook is taking it a step farther. Normally you need to be in the photo with a clear view of your face for the software to pick up on you. Now, Facebook has created a new algorithm that can see you even when you are hidden.

The way it works is by picking up details other than the face to tell who it is. Just like we do everyday it can pick up details such as their body features, hair style, clothing, etc. I am sure all of you have taken a photo when out with friends only to realize later that you cut someone’s head off in the shot. Even without their face directly showing you can still tell exactly which friend that is based on other characteristics. That is exactly what Facebook plans to do with their new software.

Yann LeCun, head of artificial intelligence at Facebook said:

“There are a lot of cues we use. People have characteristic aspects, even if you look at them from the back. For example, you can recognize Mark Zuckerberg very easily, because he always wears a gray T-shirt.” 

Facebook has already tested this with 40,000 photos taken from Flickr. Most of the photos showed only parts of people’s faces or photos where the subjects had their face fully turned away. The algorithm scored a 83% success rate. Very impressive results for brand new software.

Facebook released a new photo app called Facebook Moments just last week. Moments searches a phone’s photos and sorts them into different categories such as friend’s wedding, recent trips, outings with friends, etc. It then tags whoever it recognizes as a Facebook friend. We would imagine that this new facial recognition algorithm would fit in perfectly with it.

I am sure many of you are reading this feeling quite worried about your privacy. You can no longer hide your face to avoid being recognized. Tell us in the comments what your views are towards Facebook’s new software.

Source: New Scientist
Via: Android Authority

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