Beware: Web Photos Can Now be Searched and Identified

For all of you who have posted or have friends who have posted brazen pics of you on the web - Beware. A new search engine called Polar Rose uses sophisticated facial recognition algorithms to reconstruct a 3D shape of someone's face to generate a "face print". This face print is then used to search against other photos for matches.

Facial recognition isn't new. However, Polar Rose has demonstrated that its method is more accurate than previous attempts attempts at this technology. Now Polar Rose has made its best in class facial recognition software available for use on the internet. The Polar Rose plug-in for Firefox is in beta and will be released this month. The Internet Explorer plug in will follow shortly.

The plug in allows users to:
1. Identify the name of any person in a public photo on the web
2. Search for more photos of the same person across the entire internet
3. Create alerts to be sent when new photos of a person are posted
4. Collectively add information and tag people in online photos
5. Sort online photos by the people appearing in them

Polar Rose's reach extends to online photo sharing sites such as: Snapfish, Webshots, and Flickr. There is no question that there will be more tracking of online photography. Further, no search engine "opt-out" is available at this time.

Users however can take precautions to ensure privacy. For example, only use password protected sites. Better yet, use other means of sharing photos with friends and family. Always assume that photos you post will be available and seen by the broader public and select which photos you post accordingly. Lastly, beware of other people posting photos with you in them, especially at public events that may be publicized. And always exercise utmost discretion