Facebook is under fire from all sides for its use of its users' data, but what companies around the world can do with that data is even scarier.
Over the past five years, Terrogence, a company founded by former Israeli intelligence officials, has used social media sites like Facebook and YouTube to build a massive facial recognition database, Forbes reports.
The database is part of Terrogence's Face-Int facial recognition service. It contains the faces of thousands of terror suspects, collected from 35,000 videos and photos.
Terrogence, as well as its parent company, Verint, provide intelligence technology to the U.S. government, including the NSA and the Navy. Both give the government access to information about terrorist weapons and tactics that the company gathers through social media. It is very likely that the U.S. government has access to this database.
“Terrogence actively monitors and collects online profiles and facial images of terrorists, criminals and other individuals believed to pose a threat to aviation security, immigration and national security,” the company’s website states. “The Face-Int database hosts the profiles of thousands of suspects collected from online sources such as YouTube, Facebook and open and closed forums around the world.”.
A company brochure states that Terrogence specializes in “creating virtual entities in online spaces, legitimately accessing social media platforms, and taking physical action, gaining trust, building connections, and ultimately collecting valuable information.” In other words: it spies on you through fake profiles.
Earlier this month, Verint launched an additional facial recognition product called FaceDetect, which not only identifies people but also allows operators to automatically add suspects to watch lists.
However, Terrogence's research may not be limited to just terrorism-related information – it may be tracking you too.
But don't worry. A comprehensive facial recognition database could certainly help the U.S. government keep its citizens safe. It could, for example, help authorities identify suspects, detect terrorists in disguise, or locate missing persons more efficiently and accurately.
Still, the Terrogence case should serve as a reminder to us all. We may have heard about Cambridge Analytica, but we shouldn't forget that there are many more organizations exploiting Facebook data. Even as the social network tightens its restrictions, it's important to be cautious.
