Why Facial Recognition Is Everywhere But Curbs Aren’t: QuickTake

Facial recognition technology unlocks our smartphones, speeds passengers through airports and finds missing children. But the technology’s increasing use by law enforcement agencies and big corporations has prompted concerns from civil liberties advocates, who worry about the loss of privacy and the chilling of dissent. Big Tech has even sounded the alarm, with Amazon Inc. founder Jeff Bezos calling facial recognition “a perfect example of where regulation is needed.”

1. How does facial recognition work?

Facial recognition technology scans features on the human face and analyzes them — for instance, measuring the distances between the eyes, nose and mouth, and ...