Technology
How does facial recognition work?
Facial recognition works by mapping the unique geometry of a face — distances between features, shapes, contours — into a numerical 'faceprint', then comparing it against stored faceprints to find a match. Modern systems use neural networks trained on many faces.
See it in motion.
Watch a 2-minute animated lesson that shows exactly how facial recognition works.
Step by step
- 1A camera detects a face and locates key landmarks (eyes, nose, jaw).
- 2The system converts the face's geometry into a numeric signature.
- 3It compares that signature to a database to identify or verify.
- 4Accuracy varies and can carry bias from its training data.
Frequently asked questions
- How does a phone recognize your face to unlock?
- It builds a numeric map of your face and checks if a new scan matches the stored one closely enough.
- Is facial recognition accurate?
- Often very accurate in good conditions, but it can err and shows bias across some groups depending on training data.
- What are the privacy concerns with facial recognition?
- It can identify people without consent and enable tracking, raising surveillance and consent issues.