Issue link: https://securitytechnologyexecutive.epubxp.com/i/956571
44 SECURIT Y TECHNOLOGY E XECUTIVE • Februar y/March 2018 • www. SecurityInfoWatch.com • 54 percent of Americans plan to use face recognition to protect their per- sonal data or already own a device that uses face recognition • Nearly two thirds (64 percent) of Americans think security personnel guarding airports, concerts, sport- ing events and other public areas should be allowed to use face rec- ognition to help recognize terrorists and prevent crime • 77 percent of Americans think that security guarding airports and tourist attractions are not likely to remember the names and faces of potential terrorists on a watch list without face recognition According to Trepp, the survey 's results demonstrate that as people are adopting face recognition as a means of securing their own privacy and data security and they are growing increas- ingly comfortable with similar technol- ogy being used to secure public spaces As it seems to usually happen, con- sumer technology innovation drives adaptation in the commercial markets. Just go to any CES show and see what has migrated over. So what does Trepp see as the driving forces in the consumer app lications of facial recognition that are driving commercial and public safety sector adaptation? "There are so many good examples of this today. By 2020, 95 percent of all video capture analysis will be machine- assisted. We're already seeing the pass- word problem being tackled with the iPhone X and other consumer products that utilize facial recognition. Of course, this has far-reaching implications for businesses and security. "Also, consider that consumers go shopping in brick and mortar retail today with a supercomputer in their pocket, but it is not used to improve or enhance the shopping experience. That's all about to change. As new applica- tions are introduced, the transparency of information will be combined with public safety efforts to create a far safer environment than we have today with video surveillance cameras that virtually no one is watching. That doesn't mean that crime goes away, but the game is about to change," insists Trepp. Trepp understands that if facial rec- ognition technology is to emerge as an everyday tool for public safety agencies and public facilities like airports, work- ing with law enforcement to address issues like running facial recognition in real-time, lighting , facial angles, covered faces and inclement weather is crucial. "The feedback loop from law enforce- ment agencies has been invaluable. From my perspective, being able to match images in 'real world' scenarios in real-time is solved. Patrol officers using our mobile solution in the field receive match alerts almost instantly, and in a surveillance situation where a subject is moving , the platform automatically opti- mizes images from individuals as they are captured. As for facial angles, our ability to match from a 90-degree pro- file was not possible not that far back. However, we have solved that problem and improved the match rate in doing so," notes Trepp. Working with camera vendors is just as important as partnering with potential customers when it comes to advancing facial recognition technol- ogy says Trepp, who admits that prior to the advent of commercially viable facial recognition, surveillance largely consisted of legacy cameras recording 24/7 to a tape or DVR. If a crime was committed, one could "rewind the tape" to see what happened. It was a classic reactive approach to security. The goal of facial recognition is to help security professionals to be more proactive. "Today, with facial recognition, a real- time match of a known bad actor allows surveillance teams to prevent crime before it happens. The act of simply approaching someone and providing cus- tomer service is often enough to alert the bad actor and prevent a crime. In the case of one of our retailers, we've seen crimi- nal acts decrease by 91 percent. With quality cameras and a great algorithm, the future of this technology opens up new applications that improve the over- all consumer experience. Consumers will expect shorter lines, easier access and more personalized services," Trepp says, whose company generally partners with camera manufacturers or camera provid- ers who already have a relationship with their customers. "In order to achieve the outcomes we sell to our customers, we require more modern cameras which aren't that expen- sive. When you get the right camera com- bined with a powerful algorithm, you get a level of accuracy and speed that deliv- ers real-time match notification." BIOMETRICS Working with camera vendors is just as important as partnering with potential customers when it comes to advancing facial recognition technology. Peter Trepp is the CEO of FirstFace, a facial recognition solutions provider.