What is Facial Recognition Technology (FRT)? Its Pros, Cons, Applications, and Future Perspectives

The realm of emerging technologies is blooming incessantly, with new innovations constantly adding up, and facial recognition technology (FRT) being the prominent one. 

But have you wondered what is facial recognition technology, what are its implications, and how is it impacting national security and the global order?

Being one of the staple technologies in biometric authentication, it has been used by many countries for diverse purposes. For example, Australia used FRT to impose government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Canada opted for it to enforce citizenship laws and handle immigration cases. 

To address all the above questions circumambient to FRT, let’s explore its related dimensions and understand them holistically. 

What is Facial Recognition Technology?

Facial Recognition Technology (FTR), the name itself, portrays the symbolic meaning of it. However, certain high authorities have defined in precise terms. 

For instance, the US Department of Homeland Security delineated it as “a security solution that automatically identifies and verifies an individual’s identity from a digital image or a video frame.”

Similarly, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has also come up with a definition: “the automatic processing of digital images containing the faces of individuals for identification, authentication/verification, or categorization of those individuals.” 

Aggregating the above definitions, the FRT can be understood as a contemporary technology to identify and trace the identity of an individual from any image or video. 

It is part of biometric identification technology, which also encompasses fingerprint analysis, iris recognition, and DNA analysis.

Being a non-contact process, it has been used by many global powers for various purposes. Such as China, Ukraine, Russia, North Korea, and Argentina. India has been using it through the National Automated Facial Recognition System to ensure national security and maintain law and order.

It has been allowed for selective uses in certain areas, like New Orleans, where the use of FRT has been restricted except for violent crimes, that too with the permission of the superiors. 

On the flip side, some counties and states have strict provisions for averting its use, such as San Francisco, which has ordered a blanket ban on the use of FRT by all government agencies.

There has been a mixed response from the citizenry, government authorities, and social organizations over FRT’s use, and as per Interpol, it is in its infancy stages and has yet to develop to a reliable level. 

How does Facial Recognition Technology Work?

To address the question of what is facial recognition technology, it is crucial to first understand its functioning. 

This technology uses a few-step, programmed approach. However, the synergetic functioning of certain heavy software, specialized hardware, and intricate algorithms makes the process complicated, which demands immense expertise to operate.  

The entire process can be divided into a few prominent and progressive steps, as mentioned below:

1. Face Capture, Scan, and Analysis

This initial step scans a given sample of a picture or video frame. The algorithm-based process traces the face and scans it as a substrate image for the next step. 

Then, some software, backed by powerful processors and sturdy hardware, extracts the image. Its algorithm uses a mathematical representation to trace the distinctive facial features in the provided picture.

2. Transforming Image to Data

The extracted image is then converted into data to facilitate the computer systems to perform further operations on it. 

3. Comparing Image Data with Database

This step is the critical part of the entire process. The converted data is matched with the available information in the database. It requires extreme precision and intense processing capacity to bring accurate match results in the least possible timeframe. 

The servers of the respective agencies have bulk data, collected from the government authorities, containing the identity information of people, which is used as reference information in the process. 

4. Matching and Identifying the Individual

The culminating part of the process is identifying the individual based on the information stored in the government database. 

Although this process operates on bulky data servers and high-performance systems, there are chances of faults and errors. 

However, the technology comes with certain merits and demerits that need to be examined to understand what is facial recognition technology.  

Merits of Facial Recognition Technology

The next important aspect to consider in the sequence is the advantages of FRT.  Although the technology is in its nascent stage, it can be used in multiple fields owing to its exceptional merits, which are as follows: 

1. Strengthens Security and Law Enforcement: The ATM footage, surveillance systems at tourist spots, and public and private building cameras can be integrated with FRT to prevent terror plots and illegal immigration cases. 
2. Curbs Crime: It facilitates identifying and tracking the criminals, which assists in nabbing them. 
3. Saves Public Time: This technology overcomes the need to stop and search the public. It also expedites the normal verification process in banking, retail, and travel, which further smoothens the effectiveness of public policy and procedures.
4. Can be Integrated with Other Technologies: It has been integrated with AI through some efficient software. They provide effective real-time identification and possess spoof-free measures, which elevates the accuracy of the results. 

The above-mentioned pros make it one of the best technologies in biometric authentication. But its cons also require thorough consideration to get a vivid understanding of it.  

Shortcomings of Facial Recognition Technology

Despite its notable pros, FRT has attracted resentment from various sections of society. According to Forbes, some US states, such as San Francisco and Massachusetts, are either considering or have imposed a ban on using it.

Thus, like its pros, its cons demand deliberate attention to use it fairly. 

1. Inaccuracies in Analysis: There are chances of misidentification caused by one or a combination of factors such as technical faults, a lack of trained system operators, or under-representation in the database. 

2. Data Theft: The government is the custodian of the public data. However, the incidents of data theft have soared in recent times. The menace of data theft can trigger intentional data manipulation or the selling of personal data to private players for commercial benefits. The dearth of strong data privacy legislation, guidelines, or rules further aggravates the situation. 

3. Data Storage Issues: A huge storage capacity is required to save reference data of the people and record the command histories. This brings the dire need for domestic law enforcement agencies to keep fast and capable servers and processing units at their disposal for lengthy operations.

4. Potential Misuse by Law Enforcement Agencies: This complicated technology functions under the supervision of government authorities, who can use it for unauthorized surveillance. It ultimately jeopardizes the fundamental privacy rights and civil liberties of the citizen and questions the accountability of the top regulatory agencies in the superiority hierarchy. 

5. Face Change and Face Manipulation: Interpol is of the firm view that FRT can draw faulty results due to biological changes in the facial attribute. Unlike fingerprints and DNA structure, the facial pattern changes in life. This is due to common biological and social factors such as aging, plastic surgery, intense use of cosmetics, drug abuse, and smoking, which bring significant changes in the face of an individual. 

In view of the above shortcomings, a group of more than 180 human rights organizations has released a global statement to abort the use of FRT in publicly accessible spaces, asylums, and for migrants.

However, there are many domains where this technology has been exploited for maintaining public harmony and social composure.

Where can Facial Recognition Technology be Used?

This technology has potential utilities in diverse fields. With the brick-and-mortar offices transforming into online interfaces, the records of  government services and social provisions have been shifted from hard-cover registers to compact and localized servers. 

The technology possesses immense scope in multiple domains, which can be classified into 2 broad categories as mentioned below: 

1. Law Enforcement Purposes

Here, this technology is used to maintain and strengthen the law and order in the specified area. The major utilities in this domain are: 

1. Surveillance: FRT is highly instrumental in performing surveillance and supervision functions to check the unsocial elements and ensure public harmony. 
2. Identifying the Missing Person: Here it is used to recognize any unidentified body and assist in an attempt to find a missing person.
3. Tracking Criminals: Domestic law enforcement agencies use it to track the criminal and keep and update their criminal record for future reference. 
4. Immigration and Cross-Border Monitoring and Control: The citizenry database is used to avert the attempts of illegal and undocumented immigration by matching their identity with the respective server records. 

2. Non-Law and Order Applications

FRT can also be used in domains not related to law enforcement as well. Here are some notable examples of such uses. 

1. Establish Individual Identity: The identity authentication in banking, transportation, attendance registration at work, and digital health records uses it significantly in their day-to-day activities. 
2. Facilitate Expansion of Government Services: This technology also helps people, especially the underprivileged and deprived sections of society, claim benefits of public provisions. 
3. Simplifies Technical Processes: It is also used to enhance the password security in phones, laptops, tablets, and other devices and also helps in recovering the forgotten password. 

Some governmental organizations have tried using it in mass-scale events by employing it at exit and entry points to maintain the crowd flow, avert the petty crimes, and maintain public order.  

The pros, cons, and applications of FRT have attracted ambivalent feedback, which is considered and addressed by top multilateral agencies to ensure its prudent use. 

How Facial Recognition Technology can be Used Prudently?

The above merits and shortcomings of FRT reflect the expected opportunities and prospective challenges associated with it, which takes us into a dilemma. 

In this perspective, famous author Alan Moore has rightly said, “Technology is a two-edged sword. It will bring in many benefits but also many disasters.”

The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute has released a policy framework for the responsible limits on facial recognition technology. This document has emphasized the following points to be adhered to while using FRT: 

1. Using it only under the legal boundaries to maintain the foundation of basic human and fundamental rights.
2. Addressing the issues caused by technical errors and reflected biases. 
3. Use it only by a trained person under the superior’s orders and instructions.
4. Transparency in the procedure and areas of use of the FRT should be furnished to the public. 
5. Establishing a standard of image qualities stored for reference in the database. 

Apart from that, some other pertinent suggestions in the sequence are as follows: 

1. A compelling need for a government-backed framework is necessary to ensure the effective use of facial recognition systems.
2. The domestic agencies should coordinate with international agencies to share the best practices and come to a unanimous agreement over their use. (suggested by Interpol)
3. Build a consensus between the voluntary groups, civil societies, and governments over the productive utilization of it.

Further, the global leaders should step forward to seek collective consensus on mitigating the risks of FRT, as they have done in the 2-day “Artificial Intelligence Summit” in the UK in 2023 for ensuring the responsible use of AI. 

Conclusion

A facial recognition system has multi-facet implications, and the endeavors to integrate it with other technologies will make it instrumental in deriving precise identification. The above dimensions have provided a vivid understanding of it, addressing the doubt of what is facial recognition technology.

As the merits and shortcomings have taken the situation to a paradoxical end, cautious use of this technology coupled with a fine sense of human wisdom and rational judgement is highly advisable before arriving at any conclusion.

The words of Jack Ma, the Chinese business magnate, synopsize it as—”Technology should always do something to enable people, not disable people.”