Facebook Improves Photo Tagging With Face Detection

[engine]

Facebook Improves Photo Tagging With Face Detection [blog.facebook.com]

People love tagging their friends and family in photos, but we've heard that it can be a tedious process. You now can add tags with just a couple of clicks directly from your home page and other sections of the site, using the same face detection technology that cameras have used for years. We're running a limited test of this technology so you may not see it yet.

[Demaestro]

Cool,

I find it really interesting how things like face detection and heat detection software in video surveillance systems has become so cheap and affordable.

When this stuff was introduced many many years ago the only people who could afford it were Airports, Casinos and Governments. Now that every casino, gov and airport has them who is left to afford it at those prices? No-one.... so what happens? It becomes dirt cheap and everyone gets to use it.

I love when really great technology because affordable to the common man.

[claus]

Not cool, chilling.

So, now you should worry about your privacy even if you're not on Facebook, because some of your friends may be stupid enough to put up a photo af you and tag it. Given one photo, Facebook will recognise your face everywhere. Somebody should really ban that company.

[engine]

Claus makes a valid point.

Face recognition is great technology, I agree, but in the wrong hands...
Dynamite is great technology, but int he wrong hands...

In part, there's no way to control what others do when uploading pictures.

[Demaestro]

claus,

Well if you aren't on Facebook you can't be "tagged" other than in plain text.

For example Joe Smith isn't on facebook but someone on fb uploads a photo of them and Joe and tag Joe Smith in plain text (not associated it to a fb user).

Facebook isn't going to scan every picture to see if it can find "Joe Smith" again, unless Joe Smith has an account.

Regardless of that I am not a underground mob boss, I haven't ripped off or ratted on the mob or any witness protection program so I honestly don't care if Facebook has photos of me, I don't see the harm.

Unless FB has plans to use this for outing people in witness protection I don't see any "wrong hands" here. Based on what they say they will use it for I say "cool"

[StoutFiles]

If someone is going to spend hours uploading photo albums to Facebook, well, if this makes it easier for them to get it over with so they can get off Facebook then I'm all for it.

For people who find it chilling, I would also agree. However, if you sign up for Facebook it's a known fact that you care not for privacy and don't mind anyone finding out information about you.

[Mark_A]

But something that was a serious tool for law enforcement is now to become a toy for rich westerners. How odd.

I am personally quite proud that I managed without planning it to create a photo website which google is completely unable to categorise, not a single photo can it identify and feed via google images. That pleases me!

[engine]

However, if you sign up for Facebook it's a known fact that you care not for privacy and don't mind anyone finding out information about you.

You can also find pictures of people that don't have a FB account. Obviously, the automated system isn't going to be able to identify them, however, 'friends' will, with the best intentions, add pictures in which you may appear, and, possibly, named. Not just FB, but anywhere on the net, of course.

[claus]

Well if you aren't on Facebook you can't be "tagged" other than in plain text.

Plain text would most likely be my name. If FB enables photo albums to be searched, I will pop up in Google Image search and the rest. However, this isn't about me, as such. Most people aren't named John Smith.

I am not a underground mob boss

Think deeper. If a person knows who your friends are, knows your name and perhaps other types of personal information... and they also have a photo of you, the possibilities for "social engineering" (fraud) are simply huge.

Meaning, somebody else can pose as you and conduct legally binding actions in your name. Even crimes.

---

ADDED: Consider the fact that over 1 million external sites are already hooked up on Facebook by means of some kind of API data exchange, and that the FB TOS explicitly states that your data can and will be shared with external companies.

So, Facebook isn't even just Facebook.com.

[edited by: claus at 5:30 pm (utc) on Jul 6, 2010]

[Demaestro]

Meaning, somebody else can pose as you and conduct legally binding actions in your name. Even crimes.

Those things can happen with or without Facebook or even the Internet. I choose not to live my life out of fear of what COULD happen.

I understand the possibilities but I choose not to be concerned. IMO That is no way to live.

It is the same reason I don't have a huge wall with an electric fence around my house. Yes it could stop people who could otherwise break into my home easily, but I prefer my view from the front window over paranoia.

[incrediBILL]

Now the cops can check the entirety of facebook for wanted felons.

You can run but you cannot hide - if you use facebook.

[Demaestro]

Now the cops can check the entirety of facebook for wanted felons.

Is this a bad thing?

[caribguy]

wanted felons

and 'potential' felons

Including political dissidents, activists, refugees, and terraists.

A brave new world it is indeed...

[StoutFiles]

and 'potential' felons

Including political dissidents, activists, refugees, and terraists.

A brave new world it is indeed...

Well, a "1984" world anyways. Oh well.

[Demaestro]

Including political dissidents, activists, refugees, and terraists

Ya that is likely to happen. I am sure the police are figuring out a way right now to access Facebook and to somehow use the face detection classes to search through all the photos on Facebook to find a group of political dissidents, activists & refugees.

I am sure because Facebook has this software that courts will be happy to hand out warrants allowing blanket searches of people's pictures.

I guess I am not paranoid enough for this to worry me. None of what you are describing will happen.

A brave new world it is indeed

Too bad as the world gets braver the people in it become increasingly scared of it.

[incrediBILL]

I guess I am not paranoid enough for this to worry me. None of what you are describing will happen.

Time to get paranoid then as lawyers already mine the internet archives (archive.org) for junk to sue people so this is barely a stretch.

AFAIK, you don't need a warrant to use tools that are publicly available.