Facial Recognition Technology

Why is in news? Government to develop face authentication technology-based system for submission of Digital Life Certificates

Union Government is working to enhance the Ease of Living of pensioners across the country. In this direction, the several ministries together are developing a Face Authentication technology-based system.

This system will help in submission of digital life certificates by the Pensioners and Family Pensioners from any Android-based smart phone.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has said that under the facility, the identity of a person will be established through Face Authentication technique.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology along with the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Portal and Unique Identification Authority of India are developing this technology.

Facial Recognition Technology:

It is a biometric technology that uses distinctive features of the face to identify and distinguish an individual.

The facial recognition system works primarily by capturing the face & its features through the camera and then using various kinds of software to reconstruct those features.

The captured face along with its features is stored into a database, which can be integrated with any kind of software that may be used for security purposes, banking services, etc.

In the Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS), the large database (containing photos and videos of peoples’ faces) is used to match and identify the person. The image of an unidentified person, taken from CCTV footage, is compared to the existing database using Artificial Intelligence technology, for pattern-finding and matching.

The Facial Recognition Technology is banned in some countries like EU,

Benefits of facial recognition:

It improves outcomes in the area of Criminal identification and verification.

Easy identification amongst crowds.

Boosts the police department’s crime investigation capabilities.

Helps civilian verification when needed, No one will be able to get away with a fake ID.

Concerns: The top six ethical concerns related to facial recognition systems include racial bias and misinformation, racial discrimination in law enforcement, privacy, lack of informed consent and transparency, mass surveillance, data breaches, and inefficient legal support.