AI firm Blippar has developed a face recognition solution that raises the possibility of searching for information on anyone simply using an image taken by a smartphone.Speaking to CNBC, staff said the solution has a wide range of potential applications, including for payments and healthcare.The company is in talks to license its technology so that others can build their own products and services that use facial recognition.”A very large part of who we are as an identifiable individual uniquely is our face,” said CEO Ambarish Mitra. “It could be one of the biggest ways of how we transact day to day, so that there are no more handbags or credit cards,” he said.However, privacy fears are already being raised, as well about the potential for criminals to use the service for identity theft. However, Mitra said that social media has already impacted on traditional views of anonymity.”Anybody can take a picture of us and tag us as something else on [Facebook's] Instagram,” he said.”Pictures are being uploaded as the single biggest activity on the internet.” He added, “There is an ethics-related debate about it, but I don't think facial recognition is going to go down that route at all.”
Face recognition startup targets the social scene
