Surveillance cameras are everywhere and they are rapidly being outfitted with Facial Recognition technology that can identify you. 'Who Knows Me' is our new app that gives you back control.
At Whoo.ai we believe that you have the right to know which companies are using Facial Recognition technology to identify you and for what purposes.
We also think that you should have the right to opt-out.
That's why we created 'Who Knows Me' and honor your preferences at our properties.
We are now opening our API to all!
Think of us as the 'Do Not Call Registry' of Facial Recognition.
We are partnering with companies that use facial recognition to help you control all your preferences in one place.
How does it work?
We are a certification authority for the responsible use of Facial Recognition technology. The companies in our network have agreed to follow a set of principles of legitimate use of Facial Recognition, including giving you the ability to opt-out.
Look for our certification Logo at your favorite stores. When you walk into a member establishment the first thing that their cameras do is to check with our servers anonymously whether it is OK to apply their Facial Recognition algorithms on you.
We look up your preferences anonymously and simply respond either 'It is OK to recognize this person' or 'This person has opted-out so refrain from recognizing them'.
This is worth repeating: We maintain an anonymous link between your facial signature and your facial recognition preferences. We don't know who you are. We don't ask for any identifying information and we never track any metadata. Participants never send us any location information or any other data about you.
OK but how can you trust our members?
We guarantee that our members honor your preferences because we check! We run random tests at participating venues and our members have agreed to let us audit their legitimate use of the technology. That's principle #7!
Where do these principles come from?
We believe that the US Congress should regulate the use of Facial Recognition in this country but until that happens, we have modeled our principles on those that govern GDPR, the European Regulation for the Protection of Data.
Why do member companies join?
There are many legitimate reasons for using Facial Recognition technology. It can help companies offer you better services; It can improve or automate access control; It can help them to prevent thefts and therefore offer you better prices; It can help them gain insights into their customers so they can serve you better... But it can also be abused to the point that you would lose all sense of privacy.
We help our member companies walk that fine line so they can offer you the benefits of this cutting edge technology while still respecting your privacy and your right to control how others use your most valuable asset: Your Face!
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