According to a report by the New York Times, the military intelligence of Israel has been actively utilizing Google Photos in the GAZ sector as an alternative to the current professional system for facial recognition.
The use of facial recognition technology in Israel initially began in efforts to locate hostages in Gaza but later expanded to identifying any links with Hamas or other armed groups. The technology, developed by the Israeli company Corsight, boasted high accuracy in facial recognition even with partial visibility of faces. However, there have been cases of false positives leading to civilian arrests due to mistaken associations with Hamas.
Despite the imperfections of the Corsight technology, Israeli soldiers initially relied heavily on it. When the recognition error rate became apparent, they turned to Google Photos to supplement the main system by inputting data of individuals needing identification.
An officer mentioned that Google’s facial recognition capabilities surpassed those of Corsight, but the latter offered more flexible settings, leading to its continued use by the Israeli military. A Google representative clarified that Google Photos is meant for organizing photos by grouping similar faces and does not identify unknown individuals in the images.
This situation highlights the potential risks of relying entirely on facial recognition technology, as inaccuracies can lead to severe consequences. It serves as a reminder that critical evaluation and verification of automated systems, including recognition tools and smart assistants, are essential. A previous incident where American residents suffered from poisoning after trusting AI for mushroom identification underscores the importance of cautious reliance on technology.