The use of facial verification technology for purposes ranging from national security to business has escalated in the past few years.
In 2019, the global facial verification technology was valued at about USD 4.35 billion with an expected value of USD 12.92 billion by 2027 and a Compound Annual Growth Rate or CAGR of 14.8%. The facial verification market is attracting massive growth. With only a positive expected growth direction in this digital age, it is undeniable that the industry will see some serious technological advancements in the future.
Understanding the different ways that facial verification technology is advancing in the digital world, the applications of this technology, and the trends that are being set and evolved by research as well as by facial recognition software companies is key to understanding and predicting industry growth.
State Bill Introduced in California to ensure citizens’ rights and limit unlawful face scanning practices
Assembly Bill 1215 – The Body Camera Accountability Act:
In 2019, a state bill called Assembly Bill 1215, or The Body Camera Accountability Act for the protection of public privacy rights, was passed in California. The bill was related to facial verification technology and was specifically limited to having implementation only for 3 years.
Once the bill expired, the state lost any governing policies when it came to face verification systems. Understanding the need of the hour Assemblymember Phil Ting D-San introduced a newer bill for regulating facial verification technology in the state.
Assembly Bill 642 – the Facial Recognition Privacy Act:
Assembly Bill 642 or the Facial Recognition Privacy Act, extends the efforts of the previous bill for protecting the citizens’ rights against unlawful usage of facial verification technology. This bill ensures that there is no utilization of the technology in any way that may harm a law-abiding citizen of the state of California. Furthermore, Assembly Bill 642 affirms that face recognition services will not serve as an adequate basis for warranting any police arrest, search, or affidavit. The bill also ensures that facial verification will not be applicable in situations where, or which led to situations where, a person will be restricted from exercising any of their constitutional rights.
Implementation of advanced KYC face verification systems at airports
The Transportation security agency or TSA has been carrying out a pilot program at US airports in multiple different states trying to analyze the positives of utilization of facial verification technology at airports. With airports being one of the centers offering the most scope for implementation of face verification technology, they also require maximum scrutiny of services being utilized. This is exactly why before initiating a large-scale implementation, TSA initiated a testing program.
After testing their facial verification technology at multiple airports, recently TSA announced deploying face verification at the Sacramento International Airport. The technology working at the backend was produced by Amadeus and is designed to build and deploy biometric facial verification technology and applied systems at each and every step of the airport security process.
Using sweaters to fight unlawful public surveillance through face scanning
Can facial verification be used for mass surveillance?
While facial verification technology is an amazing feat of today’s digital age and holds the potential to offer many benefits in a range of domains, is it also common knowledge of the technology being abused for purposes such as mass public surveillance.
For example, during the recent FIFA World Cup 2022 held in Qatar, there were over 1500 CCTV cameras, equipped with facial verification technology, installed. While the reason behind this was explained as mass face verification being crucial for safety, security, and locating any potential threats such as those pertaining to terrorism, many did not feel comfortable with being seen every time they were in public.
The role being played by Manifesto:
Facial verification technology is everywhere and to fight the idea of being seen, an Italian fashion startup has just come up with a clothing line designed to confuse the computer. Cap-able’s collection Manifesto uses animal-like/animal-inspired prints to confuse face verification systems into thinking that the person being recorded is an animal.
Facial verification technology for Dating Apps
Facebook recently announced that it was going to start using facial verification technology for Facebook Dating. The purpose behind doing so is age verification to avoid minors being led on the site.
Age verification has traditionally been one of the easiest kinds of verifications to bypass. Even today, a lot of the age-sensitive content can be accessed by simply clicking “Yes” upon being subjected to the question if one is over the age of 18.
While currently, age verification for Facebook Dating is only available in the United States, we expect to see it get expanded soon.
How it works:
Age or facial verification technology works using a very simple process when it comes to Facebook Dating.
The system is initiated only if Facebook detects that you are underage and trying to access online dating. In such a case, Facebook offers its users two options to verify their age through facial verification technology.
Using a video selfie:
Using a video selfie for Facebook age verification is the same as any selfie verification, except that here you have to submit a selfie video. The user takes a video and submits it. Facebook extracts a still image from the video and only shares that with its facial verification service provider. The image is deleted after the verification process is complete.
Uploading a Photo ID:
If you’re not comfortable with posting a video, Facebook will ask you to upload an image of any photo ID of yours. This image is kept safe and encrypted and once the verification process is over Facebook will ask you if you want it to be stored. Nm weekly
