Eric Schmidt | Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Don’t expect Google to recognize you. Eric Schmidt, the company’s executive chairman, said Google will not build a database of users’ individual faces, even though the technology is available to make it possible.
At the company’s Big Tent conference on internet privacy, Schmidt said the accuracy of facial recognition technology and its ensuing implications are "creepy". Though he voiced his opposition to any sort of database that would utilize the evolving technology, he also warned against reactionary legislative and regulatory measures that might stifle future innovation.
Schmidt then moved on to take aim more broadly at well-intentioned regulators that push for restrictions on the activities of giants like Google, without considering indirect consequences. He took particular aim at French authorities that have made Google’s operations in that country increasingly difficult.
Schmidt also highlighted the company’s Dashboard feature, which allows users to monitor, edit, and delete the information Google has on them. He says the company is working on making the privacy feature more user friendly. Google's conference comes in light of ongoing global skepticism of the company's operating activities, from geo-tagging to advertising schemes.
