Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Do You Really Own Your Own Face?

    Privacy advocates are warning about the loss of public anonymity from face-recognition technology that's ubiquitous thanks to Facebook and other software companies. We hear about the risks… as well as the benefits.

    • rss
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Jul 10, 2015 • 51m Listen

    The features that make up your face are unique to you, just like your fingerprints. Think of it as your “faceprint.” Face Recognition Technology reads photos or videos to identify you by name, location and any other personal information that turns up in a database. That has real value for a range of commercial uses—not to mention law enforcement.

    But public anonymity may become a thing of the past. Facebook and other software companies have made the technology a fact of life, but there’s no consensus on how to protect your privacy.

    Also, Greece's Prime Minister changes his mind on how to handle the country's economic crisis, and the Confederate Flag no longer flies over South Carolina's Capitol grounds.

    Photo: Sheila Scarborough

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

      NewsNationalPolitics
    Back to To the Point