The use of face detection software isn’t new, but the idea of using social media as a way to datamine these features seems scary:
The software, called “suggested automatic tagging,” lets Facebook users assign digital name tags to people in their photographs. Photos that are uploaded later are scanned for physical features and can be tagged and stored.
It is opt-in if someone is tagged as a particular face. When someone is tagged on Facebook, the owner of the tag (the original name) has to accept the tag. If they reject it, the tag is not posted. But, if a user accepts the tag, the information associated with the face is kept in the Facebook database as a future suggestion, if the face doesn’t already exist.
There are several companies that are creating face-detection software, but some litigation should be required in order for this to become a reality. Imagine a data base somewhere that stores your face without your knowledge, and that information is used without your consent.
(Thanks, Ryan)