Amazon. com Help How Does Image Recognition Work

Facial recognition is increasingly common, but how does it work?

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University

Disclosure statement

Jessica Gabel Cino receives federally funded research grants in the area of criminal law.

Georgia State University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US.

The Conversation UK receives funding from these organisations

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The Trump administration’s efforts to impose new immigration rules drew attention – and legal fire – for its restrictions on the ability of people born in certain majority Muslim countries to enter the U. S. In the frenzy of concern, an obscure piece of the executive orders did not get scrutinized, or even noticed, very much: an expansion of facial recognition systems in major U. S. airports to monitor people leaving the U. S., in hopes of catching people who have overstayed their visas or are wanted in criminal investigations.

It’s a much more powerful version of the method your phone or computer might use to identify friends in your photos. Using computers to recognize people’s faces and validate their identities can streamline access control for secure corporate and government buildings or devices. Some systems can identify known or suspected criminals. Businesses can analyze their customers’ faces to help tailor marketing strategies to people of different genders, ages and ethnic backgrounds. There are even consumer services that take advantage of facial recognition, like virtual eyeglass fitting and virtual makeovers.

There are also serious privacy concerns as government agencies and companies are more able to track individuals through their communities, and even around the world. The facial recognition market is worth approximately US$3 billion and is expected to grow to $6 billion by 2021. Surveillance is a large reason for growth; government entities are the primary consumers. The FBI has a database with images of approximately half the U. S. population. There are also fears of people using facial recognition to engage in online harassment or even real-world stalking.

As facial recognition becomes more common, we must know how it works. As someone who studies and researches the legal implications of new technology in criminal investigations, I believe it’s important to understand what it can and can’t do, and how the technology is progressing. Only then can we have informed discussions about when and how to use computers to recognize that most human of features – our faces.

How it works

As one of several methods of what are called “biometric” identification systems, facial recognition examines physical features of a person’s body in an attempt to uniquely distinguish one person from all the others. Other forms of this type of work include the very common fingerprint matching, retina scanning, iris scanning (using a more readily observable part of the eye) and even voice recognition.

All of these systems take in data – often an image – from an unknown person, analyze the data in that input, and attempt to match them to existing entries in an database of known people’s faces or voices. Facial recognition does this in three steps: detection, faceprint creation, and verification or identification.

When an image is captured, computer software analyzes it to identify where the faces are in, say, a crowd of people. In a mall, for example, security cameras will feed into a computer with facial recognition software to identify faces in the video feed.

Once the system has identified any potential faces in an image, it looks more closely at each one. Sometimes the image needs to be reoriented or resized. A face very close to the camera may seem tilted or stretched slightly; someone farther back from the camera may appear smaller or even partially hidden from view.

When the software has arrived at a proper size and orientation for the face, it looks even more closely, seeking to create what is called a “faceprint.” Much like a fingerprint record, a faceprint is a set of characteristics that, taken together, uniquely identify one person’s particular face. Elements of a faceprint include the relative locations of facial features, like eyes, eyebrows and nose shape. A person who has small eyes, thick eyebrows and a long narrow nose will have a very different faceprint from someone with large eyes, thin eyebrows and a wide nose. Eyes are a key factor in accuracy. Large dark sunglasses are more likely to reduce the accuracy of the software than facial hair or regular prescription glasses.

A faceprint can be compared with a single photo to verify the identity of a known person, say an employee seeking to enter a secure area. Faceprints can also be compared to databases of many images in hopes of identifying an unknown person.

It’s not always easy

A key factor affecting how well facial recognition works is lighting. An evenly lit face seen directly from the front, with no shadows and nothing blocking the camera’s view, is the best. In addition, whether an image of a face contrasts well with its background, and how far away it is from the camera, can help or hurt the facial recognition process.

Uneven light, a bad angle and a strange expression can cause facial recognition to fail. rouadec/flickr, CC BY

Another very important challenge to successful facial recognition is the degree to which the person being identified cooperates with – or is even aware of – the process. People who know they are using facial recognition, such as that employee trying to get into a restricted room, are relatively easy to work with. They are able to look directly at the camera in proper lighting, to make things optimal for the software analysis.

Other people don’t know their faces are being analyzed – and may not even know they’re being surveilled by these systems at all. Images of their faces are trickier to analyze; a face picked out of a crowd shot may have to be digitally transformed and zoomed in before it can generate a faceprint. That leaves more room for the system to misidentify the person.

Potential problems

When a facial recognition system incorrectly identifies a person, that can cause a number of potential problems, depending on what kind of error it is. A system restricting access to a specific location could wrongly admit an unauthorized person – if, say, she was wearing a disguise or even just looked similar enough to someone who should be allowed in. Or it could block the entry of an authorized person by failing to correctly identify her.

In law enforcement, surveillance cameras aren’t always able to get very good images of a suspect’s face. That could mean identifying an innocent person as a suspect – or even failing to recognize that a known criminal just ran afoul of the law again.

Regardless of how accurate it appears to be on TV crime dramas, there is room for error, though the technology is improving. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has estimated that stated error rates are declining 50 percent every two years, and are currently around 0.8 percent. That’s better than voice recognition, which has error rates above 6 percent. But facial recognition may still be more error-prone than iris scanning and fingerprint scanning.

Privacy concerns

Even if it’s accurate, though – and perhaps even more so as accuracy improves – facial recognition raises privacy concerns. One of the chief worries is that, much like the rise of DNA databases, facial features and photos are being warehoused by government agencies, which will become able to track people and erase any notion of privacy or anonymity.

New privacy problems are cropping up all the time, too. A new smartphone app, FindFace, allows people to take a person’s photo and use facial recognition to find their social media accounts. Ostensibly a convenient way to connect with friends and co-workers, the app invites misuse. People can use it to expose identities and harass others.

These new capabilities are also raising concern about other malicious uses of publicly available images. For example, when police issue alerts about missing children, they often include a photograph of the child’s face. There is little regulation or oversight, so nobody knows whether those images are also being entered into facial recognition systems.

This, of course, doesn’t even touch on using facial recognition tools along with other technologies like police body cameras, geolocation software and machine learning to assist in real-time tracking. That goes beyond simple identification and into the realm of where someone has been, and where the software predicts they will go. Combining technologies offers attractive options for crime fighting, and deepens the fissures in our privacy.

Technology provides powerful tools, and the law is often ill-equipped to keep pace with new developments. But if we’re going to be using facial recognition in immigration and law enforcement decisions, we must engage with its possibilities and its detriments, and understand the issues of accuracy, privacy and ethics this new capability raises.

How Does Amazon Alexa Work

From: Internet Comment Copy link March 11

[Summary] Amazon. com Help: Alexa and Alexa Device FAQs 1. How do I use Alexa? Alexa is a cloud service. Activating Alexa works differently based on the type of Alexa-enabled product. For far-field Alexa-enabled devices like the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, say the

Amazon. com Help: Alexa and Alexa Device FAQs

1. How do I use Alexa?

Alexa is a cloud service. Activating Alexa works differently based on the type of Alexa-enabled product. For far-field Alexa-enabled devices like the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, say the wake word to activate Alexa. For devices like Amazon Tap, activate Alexa by pressing the Talk or microphone button. Then ask Alexa a question, such as "what is the weather today in New York?", or tell Alexa to do something, like "add batteries to my shopping list" or "play jazz." Your question or request and related information, like music playlists, calendar entries, connected home devices, and items on your shopping list, will be processed in the Cloud.

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Uses the Alexa Voice Service to play music, provide information, read the news, set alarms, control smart home devices, and more using just your voice

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Includes a built-in speaker so it can work on its own as a smart alarm clock in the bedroom, an assistant in the kitchen, or anywhere you might want a voice-controlled computer

Hears you from across the room with far-field voice recognition, even while music is playing

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Works with a variety of Bluetooth speakers

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How does Reverse Image Search work?

Reverse Image Search works by using search by image which allows people to search by photo to find matching images. You can do this by simply uploading a given image if you click on “Upload Image” or providing the image URL. Image search engine such as Google, Yandex, and Bing achieve this by the evaluation of submitted image and creating a calculated model of it with the help of advanced procedures. It is then matched with numerous other images in the databases of Google, Yandex, or Bing before finally returning the matched, similar image results. However, whenever available, Google can also use meta-data such as description about the image.

Our Reverse Photo Lookup uses image recognition technique to search for similar photos and find pictures that match your photo search query. It does not use any data associated with the query image including image name. When you submit an image to search by image, our photo search tool creates a unique and compact fingerprint or digital signature for using image recognition, then compares the digital signature or fingerprint to every other image on the web to find potential matches. Reverse Image Search uses accurate and robust image recognition and has the ability to find even partial image matches to the query image.

In addition to finding similar images having the same subject matter, search by image also focuses on the exact matches including the ones that are edited, cropped or resized.

How does facial recognition work?

Facial recognition is a way of recognizing a human face through technology. A facial recognition system uses biometrics to map facial features from a photograph or video. It compares the information with a database of known faces to find a match. Facial recognition can help verify personal identity, but it also raises privacy issues.

The facial recognition market is expected to grow to $7.7 billion in 2022 from $4 billion in 2017. That’s because facial recognition has all kinds of commercial applications. It can be used for everything from surveillance to marketing.

Biometrics and biometric data: What is it and is it secure?

Biometrics can add safety and convenience, but what about the question of data security?

But that’s where it gets complicated. If privacy is important to you, you probably want some control over how your personal information — your data — is used. And here’s the thing: your “faceprint” is data.

How facial recognition works

You might be good at recognizing faces. You probably find it a cinch to identify the face of a family member, friend, or acquaintance. You’re familiar with their facial features — their eyes, nose, mouth — and how they come together.

That’s how a facial recognition system works, but on a grand, algorithmic scale. Where you see a face, recognition technology sees data. That data can be stored and accessed. For instance, half of all American adults have their images stored in one or more facial-recognition databases that law enforcement agencies can search, according to a Georgetown University study.

So how does facial recognition work? Technologies vary, but here are the basic steps:

Step 1. A picture of your face is captured from a photo or video. Your face might appear alone or in a crowd. Your image may show you looking straight ahead or nearly in profile.

Step 2. Facial recognition software reads the geometry of your face. Key factors include the distance between your eyes and the distance from forehead to chin. The software identifies facial landmarks — one system identifies 68 of them — that are key to distinguishing your face. The result: your facial signature.

Step 3. Your facial signature — a mathematical formula — is compared to a database of known faces. And consider this: at least 117 million Americans have images of their faces in one or more police databases. According to a May 2018 report, the FBI has had access to 412 million facial images for searches.

Step 4. A determination is made. Your faceprint may match that of an image in a facial recognition system database.

In general, that’s how facial recognition works, but who uses it?

Who uses facial recognition?

A lot of people and organizations use facial recognition — and in a lot of different places. Here’s a sampling:

U. S. government at airports. Facial recognition systems can monitor people coming and going in airports. The Department of Homeland Security has used the technology to identify people who have overstayed their visas or may be under criminal investigation. Customs officials at Washington Dulles International Airport made their first arrest using facial recognition in August 2018, catching an impostor trying to enter the country. Mobile phone makers in products. Apple first used facial recognition to unlock its iPhone X, and continues with the iPhone XS. Face ID authenticates — it makes sure you’re you when you access your phone. Apple says the chance of a random face unlocking your phone is about one in 1 million. Colleges in the classroom. Facial recognition software can, in essence, take roll. If you decide to cut class, your professor could know. Don’t even think of sending your brainy roommate to take your test. Social media companies on websites. Facebook uses an algorithm to spot faces when you upload a photo to its platform. The social media company asks if you want to tag people in your photos. If you say yes, it creates a link to their profiles. Facebook can recognize faces with 98 percent accuracy. Businesses at entrances and restricted areas. Some companies have traded in security badges for facial recognition systems. Beyond security, it could be one way to get some face time with the boss. Religious groups at places of worship. Churches have used facial recognition to scan their congregations to see who’s present. It’s a good way to track regulars and not-so-regulars, as well as to help tailor donation requests. Retailers in stores. Retailers can combine surveillance cameras and facial recognition to scan the faces of shoppers. One goal: identifying suspicious characters and potential shoplifters. Airlines at departure gates. You might be accustomed to having an agent scan your boarding pass at the gate to board your flight. At least one airline scans your face. Marketers and advertisers in campaigns. Marketers often consider things like gender, age, and ethnicity when targeting groups for a product or idea. Facial recognition can be used to define those audiences even at something like a concert.

Reasons to be concerned about your privacy

Privacy matters. Privacy refers to any rights you have to control your personal information and how it’s used — and that can include your faceprint.

So, what are the issues? Here are some:

Security. Your facial data can be collected and stored, often without your permission. It’s possible hackers could access and steal that data. Prevalence. Facial recognition technology is becoming more widespread. That means your facial signature could end up in a lot of places. You probably won’t know who has access to it. Ownership. You own your face — the one atop your neck — but your digital images are different. You may have given up your right to ownership when you signed up on a social media network. Or maybe someone tracks down images of you online and sells that data. Safety. Facial recognition could lead to online harassment and stalking. How? For example, someone takes your picture on a subway or some other public place and uses facial recognition software to find out exactly who you are. Mistaken identity. Say, for instance, law enforcement uses facial recognition to try to identify someone who robbed a corner store. Facial recognition systems may not be 100 percent accurate. What if the police think the suspect is you? Basic freedoms. Government agencies and others could have the ability to track you. What you do and where you go might no longer be private. It could become impossible to remain anonymous.

How you can help protect yourself against facial recognition

Concerns about facial recognition could spur innovation.

Consider this: Two universities have developed anti-facial recognition glasses to make wearers undetectable.

The glasses — the work of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — could be one way to help protect yourself. Keep in mind, though, cyber security company Symantec has funded related research at Carnegie Mellon to help prevent such evasive maneuvers.

Beyond that, you may not have a lot of options. Still, there are things you can do.

You might start with your social networks. Here are a couple examples:

Facebook allows you to opt out of its facial recognition system. Google+ won’t enable facial recognition until you opt in. The system also allows you to turn face recognition on and off.

It’s smart in general to be careful about what you share on social networks. Posting too much personal information, including photos, could lead to identity theft. For instance, you might share your dog’s name or your high school mascot. Those details might give an identity thief a clue to the answers to your security questions for your bank or credit card accounts.

It’s also a good idea to consider the so-called Internet of Things — those devices in your home that connect to the internet. IoT devices that use face recognition include iPads, Xboxes, and video systems.

One possible solution? A secure router can help safeguard your network and your connected devices, which in turn could help protect your facial image.

How can you find more protection against facial recognition systems?

Will hackers really want to steal your face? If your facial data can be used to commit fraud or turn a profit, the answer is yes. Add that to the list of cyber safety risks.

A holistic cyber safety package is worth considering for help protecting your online privacy and security. For instance, Norton Security is designed to help protect your computer, laptop, and mobile devices against viruses, ransomware, and cybercriminals.

Still, facial recognition represents a challenge to your privacy. After all, there are few rules governing its use.

In the meantime, maybe those anti-facial-recognition glasses won’t look so bad.