Right: Facial recognition software, combined with modern cameras' capabilities, is expanding the utility of the ''old'' CCTV systems far beyond their original roles.
 Found a word you're not familiar with? Double-click that word to bring up a dictionary reference to it. The dictionary page includes an audio sound file with which to actually hear the word said. |
Background information
Facial recognition systems
A facial recognition system is a technology capable of identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source. There are multiple methods by which facial recognition systems work, but in general, they work by comparing selected facial features from given image with faces within a database. It is also described as a Biometric Artificial Intelligence based application that can uniquely identify a person by analysing patterns based on the person's facial textures and shape.
It is typically used as access control in security systems and can be compared to other biometrics such as fingerprint or eye iris recognition systems. Although the accuracy of facial recognition system as a biometric technology is lower than iris recognition and fingerprint recognition, it is widely adopted due to its contactless and non-invasive process.
Recently, it has also become increasingly popular in schools and other educational intuitions. Use of facial recognition technology in United States schools
In the United States, especially as a response to concerns regarding school shootings, there is a growing use of facial recognition technology.
Some schools and technology companies are using facial recognition to enhance security systems for tracking school visitors. A Seattle-based company RealNetworks has developed and recently released a facial recognition system called Secure, Accurate Facial Recognition (SAFR). According to the website, the technology is intended for installation at K-12 schools or at event venues, and RealNetworks offers the technology free for all schools in the United States and Canada. It is currently being tested at University Child Development School in Seattle, and the state of Wyoming is developing a plan to implement the system. Lockport City School District in New York is already installing facial recognition technology-based security, although they are using a system from a Canadian company, SN Technologies. Other schools, districts, and states across the nation are also considering bringing this sort of technology to their schools to enhance security and prevent tragedies.
The various systems of facial recognition security work differently. The SAFR system currently installed in Seattle monitors access onto school property, scanning faces and comparing them to a list of approved students, parents, and faculty. The system chosen for Lockport schools uses a database of faces of expelled students, disgruntled employees, and sex offenders to compare with the faces of people entering the buildings. Given the technology's early stage in schools, consensus regarding the best use and form of this technology will require more time.
Facial recognition technology in schools in China
In China, some schools are now testing systems to monitor student performance and to check whether they are paying attention in class. Algorithms are used to interpret facial expressions. Another family of technologies, emotional surveillance, is already in use in the Chinese army and in several private companies. This involves placing wireless sensors in caps or hats that can read brain waves and then decide when someone needs a break or to be assigned a new task, all in the name of greater efficiency.