Some Security Systems Fooled by Aging Faces

Due to the natural aging process, automatic facial recognition systems are less likely to recognize your face after a period of six years, according to a study at Michigan State University.

Biometrics expert Dr. Anil Jain, University Distinguished Professor of computer science and engineering at Michigan State University and doctoral student Lacey Best-Rowden, found that 99 percent of the face images can still be recognized up to six years later. However, the findings show that due to natural changes that occur to a face over time as a person ages, recognition accuracy begins to drop if the images of a person were taken more than six years apart.

The decrease in accuracy is person-dependent, however, the researchers said, as some people tend to age faster than others due to lifestyle, health conditions, environment or genetics.