Embracing big brother: How facial recognition could help fight crime

Embracing big brother: How facial recognition could help fight crime: From fighting terrorism to processing payments in the blink of an eye, facial recognition is set to change our ideas on privacy.

A number of exciting developments in the field could even push its toughest critics to reconsider.

“The more people get out of it, the more they’ll surrender to it,” says Manolo Almagro, senior vice president of digital for TPN Inc. Almagro believes that people will only embrace a technology if the benefits outweigh privacy concerns.

Facial recognition is a computer-based system that automatically identifies a person based on a digital image or video source — which is then matched to information stored in a database.

Often used in fictional TV-series such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, it is soon set to become a real-life tool for fighting crime. In 2014, the FBI will roll the technology out across the U.S. after pilot testing is completed in some states.