TBD

Are You Asking the Right Questions Before Choosing a Facial Recognition System?

Facial recognition has become a cornerstone of modern authentication and identification systems. From airports to hospitals, banks to retail stores, organizations across various industries are leveraging this technology to streamline operations, enhance security and elevate the user experience. 

But not all facial recognition systems are created equal.

A core differentiator is the face capture device — as capturing high-quality images is the first critical step in achieving accurate facial recognition

While standard cameras — like webcams — might seem sufficient at first glance, they fall short in delivering high-quality image capture that’s essential for accurate facial recognition. 

A poor-quality image can cause false positives or false negatives, leading to far-reaching consequences for an organization such as operational disruptions, security breaches and potential reputation damage.

If you’re in the market to adopt facial recognition technology, be sure to gather specific details from the provider about their camera system.

Ask These Key Questions About the Camera Capture Device:

  • Can the camera deliver high performance in a mission-critical, must-work environment regardless of lighting and background challenges?
  • Can the system manage high-traffic volumes in crowded settings?
  • Can it effectively detect spoofs in unattended settings?
  • How does the system address matching bias among diverse groups of people?
  • What are some of the principal security features to prevent cyberattacks and fraud? 
  • What is the camera’s field of view? Is it wide enough to capture people at different heights — even people in wheelchairs for ADA compliance — without resulting in image distortion, such as the fish-eye effect?
  • Can the camera module be easily integrated into my existing hardware and software infrastructure to enable facial recognition in my solution?

The list above is an important guide to kick off your conversations about facial recognition. You can collect more insight by moving through the following “must-haves” list to ensure you select the right facial recognition camera system designed to deliver effective facial recognition capabilities.  

10 Camera Essentials for High-Performing Facial Recognition

  1. Operates in “Must-Work” Environments: The camera component in your facial recognition system should be able to perform reliably in “failure-is-not-an-option” settings such as border crossings or banking ATMs. Multispectral imaging allows leading cameras to capture the best possible images regardless of bright sunlight or limited to no-light conditions.
  2. Provides Enhanced Security: The camera should offer encryption at rest and in transit to maximize security and data protection. Strong encryption techniques play a pivotal role in securing biometric data from unauthorized access and replay attacks — fortifying user trust and mitigating financial and reputation loss risks.
  3. Offers Exceptional “In-the-Wild” Recognition: Look for a camera that can accurately match in real-world scenarios, amid variations in lighting, backgrounds, poses, user demographics, heights, skin tones and accessibility requirements. 
  4. Features Distortion-Free Field of View: Camera orientation is important for facial recognition. Vertically aligned (portrait orientation) cameras are highly recommended for facial recognition as they can better capture faces at differing heights — including people in wheelchairs — supporting ADA compliance. Many cameras in the market have horizontal (landscape) orientation which can cause fish-eye effects, image distortion and potential privacy risks by capturing too much data with a wide-lens view.
TBD
  1. Offers Flexible Processing Options: Select a camera that supports flexible biometric processing — edge, local host and server-based processing — that aligns with specific business workflow and requirements. 
  2. Delivers High Throughput With Edge Capture: Edge capture provides live processing of images, allowing for real-time identification by bypassing the need for a local host or communication with servers. This cuts costs and complexity, improves performance and security, and reduces latency — while at the same time improving the overall user experience.
  3. Features AI-Trained Algorithms to Promote Inclusivity: Ask if the camera module includes ethically built and AI trained algorithms to address matching bias and ensure accurate matching across diverse demographics.
  4. Incorporates Advanced Presentation Attack Detection (PAD): Advanced PAD capabilities detect spoof attempts using 3D masks, printed pictures or digital images to ensure the security and integrity of the authentication process — effectively preventing fraud. Ask if the camera was successfully tested and is compliant with the ISO 30107-3 standard.
  5. Easily Enables Facial Recognition Integration: A camera component that’s compatible with various hardware platforms and software systems — such as self-service kiosks, ATMs, POS terminals or eGates — allows your organization to easily add facial recognition functionality at the edge to a variety of business use cases. 
  6. Vendor Staying Power: Technology is a significant company investment that should ebb and flow as your business needs evolve. Invest in protecting both your technology investment AND your company’s reputation with facial recognition technology built on decades of biometric bedrock — and the staying power of a proven industry leader.

Effective Facial Recognition Starts and Ends With a Quality Camera

The HID U.ARE.U™ Camera Identification System is a prime example of a high-performing capture device that hits every mark noted above. Backed by 30+ years of biometric expertise and HID’s trusted reputation, this facial recognition camera system offers excellent quality to facilitate a rewarding user experience and protect your organization from the risks associated with poor-quality capture.

Additional Resources: