Facebook Facial Recognition Better than FBI

Facebook Facial Recognition Better than FBI's

  • By Ginger Hill
  • Jul 08, 2014

On one side of the biometric playing field with have the FBI and on the other Facebook in a battle that the social platform seems to be winning when it comes to facial recognition. Not that these two entities are actually fighting against one another, but it’s basically a battle of technology when it comes to security in the United States, oh and trying to stay anonymous.

Facebook Facial Recognition Better than FBI'sThe FBI is planning to deploy Next Generation Identification (NGI), a holding tank of millions of photos in a central federal database that encompasses all 50 states by the end of the year and should be fully operational this summer. Sound like the takeover of Big Brother? Not exactly, because apparently NGI’s system isn’t as good as Facebook’s DeepFace system.

While NGI returns a ranked list of 50 possibilities, promising an 85% chance of returning the suspect’s name in the list, the DeepFace system boasts a 97% accuracy rate when given two pictures. So, what does this equate to? Well, the FBI’s system will let 1:7 suspects off the hook while Facebook’s system provides almost the same accuracy as a human sees.

The FBI’s system is expecting faces to work like fingerprints, where a single print provides enough data for a positive ID that’s strong enough to hold up in court, but automated systems are having a hard time keeping up with facial recognition. This could be partly because the picture quality that the FBI is using as most facial recognition systems require someone’s face to be photographed straight-on, which works great for mug shots but not so much for instances of spotting criminal faces through public surveillance cameras.

To be fair, Facebook does have a whole network worth of data, but it’s weird to see the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency getting outdone by a social network when it comes to biometrics.

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Security Industry Association Announces the 2026 Security Megatrends

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2026 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s signature annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both near- and long-term change in the global security industry. Read Now

  • The Future of Access Control: Cloud-Based Solutions for Safer Workplaces

    Access controls have revolutionized the way we protect our people, assets and operations. Gone are the days of cumbersome keychains and the security liabilities they introduced, but it’s a mistake to think that their evolution has reached its peak. Read Now

  • A Look at AI

    Large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. Within months of OpenAI launching its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, it amassed more than 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Read Now

  • First, Do No Harm: Responsibly Applying Artificial Intelligence

    It was 2022 when early LLMs (Large Language Models) brought the term “AI” into mainstream public consciousness and since then, we’ve seen security corporations and integrators attempt to develop their solutions and sales pitches around the biggest tech boom of the 21st century. However, not all “artificial intelligence” is equally suitable for security applications, and it’s essential for end users to remain vigilant in understanding how their solutions are utilizing AI. Read Now

  • Improve Incident Response With Intelligent Cloud Video Surveillance

    Video surveillance is a vital part of business security, helping institutions protect against everyday threats for increased employee, customer, and student safety. However, many outdated surveillance solutions lack the ability to offer immediate insights into critical incidents. This slows down investigations and limits how effectively teams can respond to situations, creating greater risks for the organization. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”