Facial recognition has sparked different reactions from the people with some terming it as a beneficial innovation while others saying it can easily invade someone’s privacy. Other controversial arguments about facial recognition include lack of regulation, reliability, possible bias and reliability issues. In this brief, we are going to discuss all the pros and cons of Facial Recognition.
Pros:
1. Security-Facial recognition is a milestone in the security sector. This is actually one of the main pros of this technology because it enhances safety and security. Facial recognition enhances security on personal and government agencies. As a matter of fact, organizations can track every person entering their premises and can help government agencies when recognizing terrorists.
2. Its Fast-Speed is very vital to prevent the increasing cases of cyber-attacks which is exactly what Facial Recognition has brought forward. The technology provides quick verification which can be very beneficial.
3. Its accurate-Facial recognition is an accurate technology that can be highly reliable in verification needs. Verily, it provides a quick and convenient solution a reason why many stakeholders are considering it as a benefit to their business.
4. It prevents Fraud-The good thing about Facial Recognition is that it’s effective and very difficult to fool. This means it will only get valid data before allowing a pass to any security system. In simple terms, this is helping reduce instances of Cyberattacks and Frauds.
5. No-contact-Facial Recognition, unlike a fingerprint scan, doesn’t involve any contact with the machine. This means people shouldn’t worry about some drawbacks of fingerprint such as smudges and germs.
6. Seamless Integration– This technology is easily integrated which is the reason why it’s highly demanded by businesses and Government agencies. The business will not waste additional money on its integration. This is one benefit to the business which we can all not ignore.
7. Compatibility-Most Facial Recognition technologies are very compatible. This means that they are compatible with almost all types of security software. For your business, this is a winning investment because you will not have to spend money on additional security software.
8. It’s an automatic process-Security guard will no longer have to perform a manual identification whenever someone visits the premise. Facial Recognition is bringing Identification automation that we all know will benefit business and Government agencies.
9. Additional convenience-This security will not only help you tag photos in iCloud or Face book but you will also be able to check-out at supermarkets, hotels and several other premises without getting your identification cards or your credit cards for scanning.
10. Minimal loss of valuables-Now that no one will be getting any cards from their purses for verification, there are lower chances of losing the valuables including smart cards, Identification cards or credit cards.
Cons:
1. Government using Facial Recognition to Undermine privacy rights-This is one of the cons of Facial recognition to society. Although there is no clear evidence on this, most people complain that the government is using this technology to undermine the privacy rights of its people.
2. No limits-In some countries where there are no regulations, the government and businesses have no limit on the use of this technology. This means that it’s open for abuses and they can spy on people with ease.
3. Increased levels of abuses-Although the police are using this technology to match faces on the CCTV footages, the line that separates this legitimate use and abuses is very thin. Some rogue elements within the government can easily use the technology to mine confidential information.
4. Individual privacy concerns– The government can use this technology to track down criminals but they can as well track someone they choose any time they want, anywhere. Some individuals are worried about this.
5. Data Privacy concerns– This technology fetches millions of videos and image files and also consists of maps that can be used to gather more data about an individual at a time. Ultimately, these files are open to abuses by anyone anytime.
6. Racial Bias-with this technology, there’s room for racial bias because there are claims that these systems are incapable of adequately fetching data from women and people of certain colors.
7. Low Reliability-a recent study by MIT says that there are rampant cases of misidentification. There are many errors associated.
8. The technology is unregulated-There are no set rules restricting the use of this technology, so it is open for no limits in use.
9. Ban of the technology-due to the chances of this technology being used for the wrong reasons, some states including the state of San Francisco and Oakland in California have banned the technology for Government use.
10. it’s difficult to predict– The implementation of this technology is in its first stages which means there’s little known for its future. So businesses implementing the technology should be ready for future adjustments as regulations arise.
