Facial recognition has been around for a short time. Apple users can use it to unlock their iPhone. Many airports use facial recognition. I have seen facial recording at the self checkout areas at many retail stores. Facial recognition isn’t a futuristic dream, it’s already here in a big way.
New doorbells on the market can recognize familiar faces to tell you who’s come calling and keep tabs on who’s at home or just outside.
Manufacturers are proudly touting facial recognition as a helpful, cutting-edge feature. But are you creating a possible problem when you start collecting data on family, friends and strangers? You might gain the peace of mind that comes with knowing who’s at the door, but it could come at the cost of compromising your loved ones’ privacy by sending their data back to manufacturers.
There have been several bills passed in the United States regarding the collection of biometric data, which includes facial images but they don’t apply to protecting biometric data on residential or private property. Experts warn when capturing other people’s biometric information multiple relationships come into play.
These are ethical questions. If a courier delivers a package do you have the right to take their photo? You may say yes as they came onto your property, but then the courier could leave the package at the curb so they are not photographed.
When considering a product, carefully read the terms and conditions and have a grasp of what happens to the video, images and facial data captured by your device in order to use it responsibly.
Manufacturers are covering themselves by putting the onus on the consumer to make sure everyone coming in contact with your purchased devices consents to their data being collected.
China is currently the only country that has created a nationwide database of faces from devices. Some argue that we can use facial recognition to capture wanted criminals, so do we want to give up privacy for security?
At a minimum, we need to make smart purchasing decisions when it comes to data collecting devices. Yes, that will likely take extra time and research on the part of the consumer. Is that so different than purchasing any other product? Some people carefully read food ingredient lists and nutrition labels.
Molly Price has the full story on the CNET website – the link is below
https://www.cnet.com/news/smart-home-cameras-bring-the-facial-recognition-ethical-dilemma-to-your-front-door/