Google+ Introduces Automatic Face Recognition To Photo Tagging

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22 points·tilt··9 comments

I was thinking about this just today: I assume that the only reason we are better at uniquely identifying humans by their faces than at identifying other animals is that we either learn to do it or are so hard-wired by evolution: not because individual humans are more distinguishable than individuals of other species.

So if that's true ... Google could just as easily introduce automatic face recognition for photos of your cats. Or your goat, or whatever. I see a whole new market here!

Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought this was default when G+ initially launched? I seemed to recall tagging photos and it "suggested" people (usually correctly) for the tags I was making.

I admit I don't recall exactly, however; I was never one to tag photos.

It provides suggested geometry for tags, but not actual names for the tags.

I don't recall seeing this on Google+ previously, but automatic recognition with best guess suggestions was certainly a feature added to Picasa Web Albums at some point about 2-ish years ago and I know Google+'s photo system is basically a different front-end to Picasa, so you're at least partially right.

This has been a feature in Picasa since 2008 - http://techcrunch.com/2008/09/02/picasa-refresh-brings-facia...

Didn't Facebook get in trouble in Europe for this?

Google has (wisely) made this feature opt-in, rather than opt-out, so I suspect that should solve most of these types of concerns.

Never used photo tagging in G+ or FB, opt-in for who btw? For the one being tagged or the user who uploaded the photo?

The subjects of photos can choose to find and tag themselves in photos visible to them.

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