Facebook Built a Facial Recognition App That Let Employees Identify People By Pointing a Phone at Them

Facebook once built an internal app that let employees identify people using facial recognition and their phone cameras, Business Insider reported Friday. From the report: The app, which was developed between 2015 and 2016, utilised Facebook's vast collection of user identities to automatically recognise the person at whom the phone's camera was pointed. The app was not released publicly, and Facebook tells Business Insider that it only worked on company employees and any of their friends who opted in to the social network's facial recognition system. "As a way to learn about new technologies, our teams regularly build apps to use internally. The apps described here were only available to Facebook employees, and could only recognize employees and their friends who had face recognition enabled," said a Facebook spokesperson. The existence of the app illustrates how Facebook has been quick to experiment with technology that could have significant societal implications.

That could never be used for ill gains

[nucrash]

And by never I mean, I wonder who has used this for ill gains.

Re:

[retchdog]

isn't the "ill gains" just having the database in the first place? which facebook most certainly does.

this app was just a matter of letting anyone else benefit from it, which they restricted to their employees. to release it publicly would incur two risks: that their database will lose value, and that people will find it creepy. i suspect the second is the far, far greater risk for facebook.

they've already done the evil part; it's just a matter of doling it out slowly so that they can avoid spooking the she

Re:

[onepoint]

Well wait, won't they just release this to the police. this way they can do what china does on a local scale?

it's not that hard, swap the body cam for a cell phone and start the process with record. before you know it, you'll be joe officer with everyone information.

It was only a matter of time

[Sir_Eptishous]

We are entering a Brave New World of Total Surveillance.
Every Thought
Every Word
Every Deed

Will be tracked, ingested and analyzed.
Then the bad apples will be re-educated.

Re:

[Pitawg]

They will ban public use, however, when they notice the database of faces going in and out of every Fad building, and Police stations/bars.

Were you the one with it, this week? Or was it ...... Never Mind.

Re:

[pr0fessor]

Then the bad apples will be promoted and everyone else exploited.

Fixed that for you.

Re:

[timeOday]

Depends on how good you are at being bad, doesn't it?

ask china

[Anonymous Coward]

I saw a clip of how the police came and pointed a phone looking device at citizens who got asked "delicate" questions by foreign journalists.

Epsteined

[makerfixer]

You mean that it could be used to identify all the people flinging their dead bodies off of buildings in Taiwan? I have a feeling many of them are already in facial recognition databases.

Inevitable

[Dan East]

Isn't this inevitable? It's just taking existing technology and making use of it. I'm surprised they didn't do this with something like Google Glass in augmented reality- whoever you look at has their name pop up, their relationship status, political leanings, sexual preference.....

I'd rake name where do I know you from

[raymorris]

When Google Glass was first talked about, I thought it would be handy if it would tell me the name of the people when I bump inyo them at the store and they say "hey Ray!'"

Maybe tell me the first two Facebook friends we have in common so that I know where TF I know them from. Because currently, 90% of the time I don't remember the person.

Re:

[bill_mcgonigle]

That's interesting - this tech may first gain acceptance as a disability aid

Re:

[onepoint]

perfect answer

Re:Inevitable

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Isn't this inevitable? It's just taking existing technology and making use of it.

"Inevitable" is exactly right. Just like the technology behind deepfakes, it was only a matter of time until it became a real thing.

I predicted the eventual ability to ceate deepfakes a long time ago (and I'm sure I wasn't the only one by far). You only had to look at what you couldn't do with video to see what you eventually would be able to do.

Coincidence?

[v1s10nary]

This application was being tested in 2015/2016.... right around the same time that China started incorporating facial recognition into their mass surveillance program.

Not saying that Facebook was involved with this, but at the very least it shows how fast this technology was adopted.

between the lines...

[markana]

>The app was not released publicly,

Obviously. Or mentioned publicly.

>The apps described here were only available to Facebook employees,

Okay, I can believe this...

>and could only recognize employees and their friends who had face recognition enabled,

And by "friends", we mean anyone who ever uploaded a photo to FB at any time. Enabled or not.

Internal Prototype, External Customers

[Aero77]

Obviously this app was internal only, simply a prototype or demo. The product for external customers (governments) would be much more powerful...

Oh, HELL NO!

[Rick Schumann]

Good thing that was never released anywhere, I'd hate to have to slap people's phones out of their hands if I thought they were pointing them at me.
I don't give a fuck about 'if you're in public you have no right to privacy' shit in this case, if this was a Real Thing that people could have, it would be a massive invasion of everyones' privacy. You should have control over who knows your name. You want to know my name? Fucking walk up to me, introduce yourself, and I'll decide if I want you knowing my name

Facebook Advertising their capabilities.

[MrKaos]

As a way to learn about new technologies, our teams regularly build apps to use internally.

Once the frame work and structural issues are resolved the projects are shelved until a potential client specifies the enhancements and additions they require. We then lease the access to the data whilst charging ongoing maintenance for the application the Facebook spokesperson declined to say.

only available to Facebook employees

during testing and the full version to appropriate clients in the law enforcement commu

'pointing' a phone

[rossdee]

Do the latest phones have camera(s) on the top edge?
I guess you could get better optics that way.
My old phone only has one facing the back and one facing the front.

During an interview?

[AHuxley]

All that "college" and "study" talk is going so well.
Got the math skills to work with the team that will stop ad blockers...
Got some ideas for the good censor team....
Happy to work on any project with the gov of Communist China too...

In an instant the one image with the same face is found?
Does the good censor approve of the image?

Chinese police

[Vinegar Joe]

Are already doing this. And tracking is built in so you can be stopped at a police checkpoint, you photo is taken and they know everything about you as well as where you've been. No more carrying those pesky totalitarian ID cards.

Soooo Black Mirror

[famazza]

I've seen this already.

When this will be seen as a problem is

[John Jorsett]

when politicians and police find themselves being identified and tracked wherever they go by networks of cameras such as Ring doorbells, dashcams, cell phones, and other consumer cameras. How long until some service like Waze or Uber uses your cell camera to record the position, time, and plate number of every car around you and sells that info or loses it through a hack? I'm betting that's coming.

Who is it?

[The Evil Atheist]

Who is it in Facebook that is coming up with these stupid ideas, and can they please fucking stop. Do they not care about their effect on society at all?