Google search makes use of social network photos

If you're out in public, you are fair game, but as you want if a foreigner has taken the image and then ran a search to find out your name, alias online and any information about yourself through this image? We're almost there with face-recognition technology and social media aggregation. Although several companies are exploring that Kingdom, Google recently released a patent in Europe to use facial recognition and social networking combine to give visual search results.

Google Googles is a recognition of image search for mobile phones that allows users curious to take a picture of anything as a reference point, and then do a search for information about the item in question.  A user does not need to type or speak to start searching; It is as easy as opening the app, take a picture and then waiting for search results.

Although in December 2009, Google has decided not to immediately begin using facial recognition technology for Google Goggles visual search in August 2010, Google has acquired Like.com, which is a Visual search engine currently used for shopping. First Like.com helped buyers online, was a Visual search site called Riya that uses facial recognition technology to search images that users have uploaded and tagged. Way back in 2005, Google bought almost Riya. So with the acquisition of Like.com, Google has acquired technology of Riya too. Other patent filings has recently become public, suggesting that Google has worked together to apply the technology visual query to search for faces.

Recent Google patent filing for user interface for the presentation of search results for multiple areas of a Query Visual suggests that it may be evolving Visual search in Google for smartphones. When you lock a photo, often includes many things, such as buildings in the background, road signs or even people. When you run a query that the picture, Google can penetrate the picture all those different pieces and research for each object within the image--including facial recognition search.

Another Google patent, face recognition with Social Network facilitation, was recently published in Europe, even if it was made around the time that Google bought Like.com. The abstract patent describes research of facial recognition to "one or more probably names" of the people in the picture. After this query "potentially" found one or more personal identification numbers for each person, it will scour "communications applications, social networking applications, applications, calendar, and collaborative applications" to create a list of possible identity for each person. The patent description, shows that if the photo has been marked with the name of a person, "that picture could be queries used facial recognition in future to recognize the person".

As regards privacy, Google has several possible scenarios: to send just one "identifiers" to the person; optionally allowing only the subject identified to make public the photos, or to send a request, after which a person is positively identified, wondering if the image can be a result of research aimed to visual query other persons from within their social network.

InformationWeek found that the inventors listed in the patent application shall include "David Petrou, Andrew Rabinovich and Adam Hartwig" who worked also on Google Googles. It seems as if Google is close to reaching its goal of integrating facial recognition in visual search, but Google is certainly not the only company with big plans to use facial recognition search.

The interpreter has suggested other applications such as Viewdlw, with floating facial recognition on the fly could help "stalkers Government." Viewdle allows users label and save "faceprints" of people and then share the "faceprint them with other users of Viewdle so that they can recognize that the person too!" Privacy settings photosharing are integrated with the Facebook privacy settings.

Some people may not have privacy concerns with visual searches that use facial recognition, but there are a lot of people worried about protecting your privacy. For example, when you leave your home and go walking, wearing a badge in public or at the Mall as a visual aide constant for anyone and everyone to identify the user? That seems a little above me, but isn't that similar to tag a picture with the name of a person and then that image search face becoming fodder? Wear a name tag with the name at all times in public is a personal choice, but there isn't much choice, if someone decides to tag in an image.

Dictators and Governments are already identify people based on real names and photos posted in social media. CNN has posted an interview with examples of when the Internet could help a dictator like Facebook people who need to use their real name instead of aliases. Another example was after the Iranian protests were over in 2009, the Government has gone through Flickr and collected pictures of protestors, posted those pictures on the websites of the Government and then unknown faces circled in red ink.

Access time is concerned mainly with the Facebook policy requiring real names, complete and launched the online petition called, "unfriend the Dictators." Yet how much easier it is to identify dissidents when facial recognition software allows a Government to search and compare the faces photographed with their database, or even millions of photos stored on Facebook or other social networking sites?

I'm not saying that all Visual search technology of facial recognition is bad. It might be cool or it could be a dream stalkers. We all have good and bad days, so the ability to use face research could be used accordingly. It could be used for something wonderful like love at first sight and help track down that first alien visa in a crowded public place. Or it could be used for some time irascible as I take a photo to try and track down that jerk that is cut off in traffic. In the case of dissidents, do research could be a death sentence.