Watch_Dogs Profiler in Real Life?

[Ayasano]

Not entirely sure how I missed this at the beginning of this year.

A company called FacialNetwork.com has released the NameTag app for Glass Beta testers, and is apparently planning a smartphone version in the future. According to a press release from the company, to use it the app you just spy the face of a stranger with Glass’ camera, and the app will “compare it to millions of records and in seconds return a match complete with a name, additional photos and social media profiles.”

“With the NameTag app running on Google Glass a user can simply glance at someone nearby and instantly see that person’s name, occupation and even visit their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter profiles in real-time,” the company adds.

They’re also working on technology to allow the scanning of photos on dating profiles, and to compare images against criminal databases too, including “450,000 entries in the National Sex Offender Registry.”

Technically, the app’s not allowed on Google Glass—facial recognition apps are banned—but it can be used on jailbroken devices. And aside from the fact that facial recognition technology is generally just pretty creepy, it brings with it a whole host of privacy issues.

Source: This Sex Offender-Spotting App Sounds Like a Really Bad Idea | Motherboard

While the techie in me thinks this is cool, and the hacker-wannabe thinks it's really useful, the average citizen part of me finds it pretty damn unnerving. Granted, the current version only aggregates publicly available data, but the potential for abuse by police and governments is pretty big.

What do you guys think about this?

 

[PoisonApple]

Sure, it could be handy, but I think it's creepy...Isn't anything sacred these days? And how easy would it be to stalk a stranger! Or find that jerk who cut you off in traffic, or find out where those rich-looking people live so they can be robbed, etc....