As our society becomes more and more electronically driven,
there is an increasing demand for fast and accurate user identification and
operation. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to replace password-based access
control, and not need to worry about the integrity of the system when resetting
a password? Or what about changing the fact that our healthcare system merely
relies on a social security number as proof of identity for granting access to
medical records? Changes need to be made to the system, and Facial Recognition
Technology may be the answer.
While ID
cards can be lost or stolen, and passwords can be forgotten, the face is irrefutably
connected to the owner. Face recognition could reduce the issue we are
currently facing with identity theft by ensuring that people are truly who they
claim to be. Face recognition works by analyzing the individual’s unique shape,
pattern, and positioning of facial features.
This
technology is a form of biometrics, which is used in computer science as a form of identification or access control. Highly complex and largely software based,
face recognition technology relies on a biometric methodology, which
establishes the analysis framework, designed specifically for each device. The
face recognition starts with a picture, and searches for a person within the
image. The recognition system then locates the head, followed by the eyes of
the individual. A matrix is then developed
based on the characteristics of the individual’s face. Depending on the
algorithm used, the method of defining the matrix will vary. The matrix is then
compared to the matrices that are within a database, and a similarity score is
generated for each comparison. This advanced technology could potentially
protect our identities and enhance our security.
References:
This is a really cool article! I had no idea computer scientists use biometric technology in place of passwords. How would this work if a person had a transplant or a surgery that changed the basic characteristics of their face? Could the technology be easily updated or would the system fail?
ReplyDeleteIt is incredible that technology has come so far. This is a very fascinating blog topic. I wonder if the technology that scans your hand (like at our gym) is similar. I wonder how precise the technology is-- how minor changes to your face would effect the technology/ how identical twins would effect the technology. I could see this kind of security being used at banks, offices, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is so fascinating! On one level it would be so helpful for people (like me) who forget their passwords all the time. But on another, more important, level, security for all of our technology would be heightened. I wonder how similar the comparison would need to be in order to be granted access? If it creates a similarity score, does it need to match the face perfectly or does it account for error?
ReplyDeleteI never thought about using facial recognition for things like medical records (i always thought of using it for something trivial to unlock your phone or something haha) but it makes a ton of sense. Its pretty risky having your identity tied to a number that can easily be stolen and having facial recognition eliminates all of that. really cool and informative article
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I really hope that facial recognition software can be integrated into airport security and popular locations in the future in order to increase safety. With the increasing prevalence of terrorism in the United States, this could potentially be useful in identifying and stopping known suspects. It will be cool to see all of the different ways that facial recognition will grow and be used over the years.
ReplyDelete