Google is paying parents to submit video clips of their teenage children in an effort to train a face verification system, according to a report from 404 Media. The project is being carried out in partnership with the Canadian telecom Telus, which is offering parents $50 per video.
The program’s terms and conditions explain that Google’s team is interested in eyelid shape, skin tone, and “facial geometry” more broadly. Participating parents are asked to provide 11 short videos of their kids, aged 13-17, wearing props including hats and face masks, presumably to help Google’s AI system better respond to obscuring face wear.
Responding to queries from 404 Media, Google explained that it had teamed up with Telus last year to “find volunteers” who could help the company to explore whether age verification can be accomplished using selfies.
“From there, Google collected videos and images of faces, clearly explaining how the content will be used and, as with all research involving minors, we required parental consent for participants under the age of 18,” the company said. “We’ve also put strict privacy protections in place, including limiting the amount of time the data will be retained and providing all participants the option to delete their data at any time.”
Google also explained that videos submitted for the program were not sent to Telus. Rather, Telus was tasked with identifying potential volunteers for the program.
While it’s not clear what impact Google’s project with Telus has had in total, Google appears to have succeeded in developing an effective age estimation tool based on face biometrics technology. The company’s selfie-based system quietly received approval under the United Kingdom’s Age Check Certification Scheme last month.
Source: 404 Media
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January 10, 2024 – by Alex Perala
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