Facial recognition phone application described as a 'stalker's dream'



A prototype camera phone application that enables the user to find names and numbers of complete strangers has been labelled a 'stalker's dream'.

The application, called Recognizr, has been developed to find personal information through facial recognition software.

The user simply has to take a picture of a person and hit the 'Recognize' button.

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The photo is then compared to shots on social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter before personal information, which can include phone numbers, addresses and email addresses, is sent to the user.

The software developer, Swedish company The Astonishing Tribe, is currently testing the software, which works on phones with a camera of five or more megapixel resolution.



Security experts have blasted the new software for enabling burglars to find out where targets live.

Simon Davies from Privacy International said: 'It takes the dangers that already exist and increases them infinitely.'

There are also fears the application could lead to an increase in people being stalked by those who have obtained their personal information.



Dr Ian Brown from the Oxford Internet Institute said: 'A guy could take a picture of a girl in a bar and find out all sorts of information.'

Tom Gaffney, from security software firm F-Secure, added: 'This application looks like it could be a stalker's dream.'









