New app FindFace claims it might be of use in perfectly innocent scenarios like trying to find the Facebook profile of the guy/girl you took a secret photo of on the bus, but we find that hard to believe. It has "Pulled Following Scandal" written all over it.
The maker of the app -- available in Russia and boasting 500,000+ downloads -- says it has a 70 per cent accuracy rate in identifying faces from whatever data it's fed. The maker explains: "If you see someone you like, you can photograph them, find their identity, and then send them a friend request. With this algorithm, you can search through a billion photographs in less than a second from a normal computer."
Which spells trouble of this kind:
Looking Up People From School
It's weird, they're older now, she's moved on and never even knew your surname. End result: Bad things happen.
Looking Up Yourself
You might be identified as someone you believe to be less attractive, leading to further self-esteem issues. End result: Bad things happen.
Looking Up Shop Assistants
Has a boyfriend: End result: Nothing happens.
Retrospective Punishments
The Daily Mail will employ a staff member whose sole job is to scan all old men and out them for historical crimes. Your misadventures with a burning rubbish bin during an anti-capitalist rally in 2005 will be discovered through analysis of old CCTV footage. End result: Bad things happen.
No One Leaves The House Any More
End result: The internet goes slower for everyone. [Guardian via Metro]
Image credit: Public photography from Shutterstock
shares