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Can Facial Recognition tools track you online?

The article examines whether facial recognition tools can track users online, noting that most analyze uploaded photos rather than use live feeds. Real-time online tracking via facial recognition remains technically limited, but privacy concerns about linking facial data to profiles persist.

Background

- This article explains whether facial recognition can track you online. It distinguishes "probe-based" recognition (matching a photo against a known database) from "live" recognition (real-time scanning of video). The key takeaway: most tools require a starting photo and a database to match against — they do not passively scan random webcams. - Published by EyeMatch.ai, a company selling facial recognition APIs. As an industry vendor, they have reason to reduce privacy fears that could hurt their business. - Relevant background: Clearview AI scraped billions of social media photos for police use, triggering privacy backlash. Cities like San Francisco banned government use of facial recognition. The EU's AI Act also restricts real-time biometric surveillance. The article argues these fears are overblown for most consumer tools.

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