The book raises ethical questions about privacy and consent in an era where personal data is willingly shared online. It also discusses the potential for FRT to radically change the public sphere, binding individuals to their digital history and ending the possibility of anonymous public existence. Despite the ethical concerns, the book suggests that major tech firms may soon enter the FRT market, following Clearview AI's lead.
Key takeaways:
- Kashmir Hill's new book, "Your Face Belongs to Us," discusses the history and ethical implications of facial recognition technology, particularly focusing on the company Clearview AI.
- Clearview AI, founded by Hoan Ton-That, developed a facial recognition technology that could match faces to identities using a database of billions of photos scraped from social media sites.
- While facial recognition technology has potential benefits for law enforcement, it also raises serious privacy concerns, as it could end the possibility of being in public anonymously.
- Major tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook have been slow to deploy facial recognition technology, citing ethical concerns, but the success of Clearview AI may prompt them to enter the race.