PC Magazine - USA (2020-01)

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eople with my job need to be interested

in—and at least passingly excited about—

new technology. Sure, we need to

maintain distance from the hype cycle (3D TV,

anyone?), but a creeping cynicism that depletes

enthusiasm for new, exciting ideas is just as toxic.

So when Apple debuted Face ID, I stayed mostly

quiet about it. Now that Google has followed suit

with facial recognition built into its Pixel 4 phone,

I think I can safely say that I’ve given my dislike a

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Facial recognition is bad. It’s really bad. It’s a

poor system for verifying identity or intent, it’s

overly permissive, and it trains us to be okay with

having our faces scanned. In conclusion, facial

recognition in consumer technology is the end of

civilization as we know it. Thank you for coming

to my TED talk. You want more details? Fine.

IT’S ALL ABOUT INTENT

Continuing with the examples of Google and

Apple, I should make it clear that they both

address the most dystopian fears surrounding

face-scanning. No, your face data doesn’t leave

your phone. No, your biometric data isn’t stored

in such a manner that would allow your face to be

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be stuck with a crummy password or crummier

Facial Recognition Is

Tech’s Biggest Mistake

COMMENTARY

PC Magazine Senior

Software Analyst Max

Eddy has also written

for publications such

as International Digital

Times, International

Science Times, and

The Mary Sue.