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Facial Recognition Technology

Context: Information regarding data security of Facial recognition technology was given by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today. The technology was also in news with respect to Digi Yatri installed in 3 airports.

What is Facial Recognition Technology?

• A method of recognising a human face using technology is facial recognition.
• It maps facial traits from a picture or video using biometrics.
• To identify a match, it compares the data with a database of recognised faces.

How it works?

• A picture of the face is captured from a photo or video.
• Facial recognition software reads the geometry of the face (Ex- the distance between eyes and the distance from forehead to chin)
• Facial signature — a mathematical formula — is compared to a database of known faces.
• A determination is made. The faceprint may match that of an image in a facial recognition system database.

Digi Yatri:

• The Digi-Yatri service, which uses facial recognition technology to enable contactless admission for travellers at airports, was introduced by the Airports Authority of India.
• The service is offered at the IGI Airport in Delhi, the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, and the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi.