Face recognition

I think it has been two years ago, I read somewhere on the internet that Google started a new thing in their search, face recognition! Wow that was stunning! So if you were searching the web for images of watches, as an example a cellphone, you find these results.

But now the interesting part, some geek tried typing in different variables and expressions and ended up typing "&imgtype=face" behind the url:

Now you will find these results. And no way! Google finds faces! I was literarily stunned finding out this feature. Google is creating more than just an algorithm for searching, but tracking down faces as well. 

Anyway, times go by and yesterday evening I find out something else within Googles PicasaWebalbums. Tag your picture's, but let google find the faces and you name them. 

So you must enable this function in the settings, and after turning this on you tell Google to find faces. And off he goes! Finding the faces in all your picture's. (If you can't find this feature in your settings, you might need to change your language to English, but I bet it'll be there soon for the other languages).

It takes Google less then an hour to find your face and the faces of your friends in all of your photo's in PicasaWebalbums. 

Google tracks down the faces and compares them and then shows you faces of people, and most of the times google is correct in finding the same persons. You type in the name of the person and email (i'll end with this function). And you start tagging persons and more and more. Google will also start suggesting tags to you, and yes Google now knows how I look like and asks me to tag myself.

So the cool things now is whenever you start adding more photo's Google will be able to suggest the tags in a bunch and you won't have to tag each photo anymore. And when your entire new album is uploaded and tagged, you go to your "people-tab" and tell your friend that you tagged them in a new album. You can choose to email all of them at once and you don't have to email them all the separate picture's anymore, they are tagged in their own picture's.

Yes Google stays private and disables the tags by default so that the people visiting don't see them. But you can enable them! Now your friends know who that other guy or girl is in the picture. Good function Google! I love it!

But... Where will we end now? Google has streetview, maybe they will take over security companies and hook their system on the security camera's? What's going to be next then? Well Google will know who that person was misbehaving in the streets of Amsterdam by putting that face they captured on camera in their own face recognition software and send it to the police? This sounds like a bigger brother is watching us!