Internet security. Such a troubling subject. The number of internet scams, crimes and identity thefts is already too major to underestimate. Internet criminals are becoming more skilled every single day and the common user is doing little to make their task more difficult.
In fact, the online behavior of many people is facilitating online crime and internet theft. People share information carelessly. The appearance of social networks has made the publication of personal facts easier than ever before.
Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Heinz College concluded a recent study that focused on the facial recognition software that social networks will soon be introducing. According to the scientists involved in the study, the software could soon be used to facilitate identity theft.
Three separate experiments were performed to explain that claim. All of these experiments were successful to a worrying degree.
The experiments are very simple and the conclusions are striking. Researchers took photos from dating websites and used facial detection software to know the names of the people behind the anonymous profiles. In quite many instances, the software was capable of identifying flawlessly the individuals on the pictures. So long, internet anonymity!
A second similar experiment confirmed the findings of the first one. The third experiment is by far the most troubling one. A photo of a person taken on the street was scanned with facial recognition programs. Next up, researchers used simple data mining techniques to discover the person’s address, professional position and even social security number.
It turned out that such bits of information are easy to find, even for hackers and internet criminals who have limited experience and technical capabilities.
Facebook is one of the most popular social networks available currently and a pioneer in the sphere of facial recognition software introduction. Though such powerful tools are currently unavailable online, it is only a matter of time to see instant facial recognition in action.
Facebook is already a huge database that contains sensitive personal information. The social network has changed its privacy policy more frequently than it has managed to fix bugs. All of these privacy updates have some shortcomings, which make users wonder about personal security.
Careless information publishing by the users themselves makes it easier for criminals to start acting. A number of crimes and fraud cases are already connected to the information presented in a personal Facebook profile.
Globalization and the advance of technologies makes it relatively easy for anyone to find information about anyone else who has somehow participated in the online reality.
Facebook is a wonderfully useful tool and entertainment option but the manner in which common people utilize its key functionality has also turned it into a powerful and dangerous identity theft tool.
Though the findings of the study seem to be a bit paranoid and far-fetched, they make people wonder. Online anonymity is turning into a myth, especially if people publish willingly sensitive personal details. Internet security is pretty much an issue connected to personal behavior but how do facial recognition software and similar technologies fit within the theme?