June 20, 2012, 10:27 AM —
Facebook grabs Face.com (no surprise) but anonymity and privacy may now officially be outmoded.
Reports on the price vary (TechCrunch says $55-$60 million in cash and stock), but concerns about privacy are growing. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that your unique "faceprint" is already on a digital server somewhere in the world, and the new Face.com acquisition by Facebook may aid authoritarian governments identify dissidents.
Like other settings on Facebook, facial recognition is turned on by default. According to CNN, Face's software for mobile users is faster to use than the Facebook app, leading to more accurate identity tagging. Add in the Instagram acquisition, that 300 million or so photos are uploaded each day to Facebook, that the majority of those are from phones, and the value of Face becomes more clear. But privacy issues become more murky.
Great idea
This is going to be a huge deal if those Google Glasses are popular (and I believe they will be). Facebook could be working on a competitor
Robert Scoble on techcrunch.com
Big Brother gets stronger
Just wait, this facial technology's ultimate use is nothing more that to track you. All in the name of socializing. What a joke.
zyoung on cnn.com
We haven't seen anything yet. One example: combine facial recognition with Pervasive Memory (every interaction through a digital device leaves a trace) and that means potential employers will be able to amass a visual record of everything you've done for the past 10 or 20 years.
Bruce Kasanoff on techcrunch.com
Imagine facebook selling its database in 10 years. Now every time you walk past an ATM machine or any video camera you can be literally pinpointed via facial recognition.
Veronica Lang on cnn.com
Facebook is Big Brother. I never thought Big Brother wore a hoodie.
pal316 on sfgate.com
George Orwell's birthday was June 25th. He told us it was going to go down like this.
OliverHolz on cnn.com
Money
it's big corporate brother selling you to the highest bidder with no regards of any kind to your safety nor privacy.
Julius Caeser on cnn.com
I think they bought it for the domain name. "Drop the 'book'. It's cleaner..."
Michelle Dong on techcrunch.com
Remember you have no rights only corporations do!
sunsetsfnative on sfgate.com
Smile, you're on Facebook, and they know who you are
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