Japan's NEC Corp. has launched a facial recognition system that identifies people even when they are wearing masks, adapting to a new normal in which face coverings have become a key form of protection against the spread of the coronavirus. The technology firm had already been working on a system to meet the needs of allergy sufferers who wear masks when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted it to accelerate development. "Needs grew even more due to the coronavirus situation as the state of emergency (last year) was continuing for a long time, and so we've now introduced this technology to the market," Shinya Takashima, assistant manager of NEC's digital platform division, said. The system determines when a person is wearing a mask and hones in on the parts that are not covered up, such as the eyes and surrounding areas, to verify the subject's identity. Users register a photo of their face in advance.

Facebook is searching for your face in pictures and videos that you haven't been tagged in. The social network has revealed how it is using facial recognition to uncover more images of you, even ones you don't know about. The technology will also enable Facebook to work out if somebody is trying to impersonate you online. From today, Facebook will notify you when it thinks it has spotted you in a picture or video that nobody has tagged you in. To recognise whether or not you're in a photo or video, the site says its facial recognition system will compare images with your profile pictures and other photos and videos you're tagged in.