Facial recognition software is increasingly common, whether to do something as straightforward as unlocking or phone or as important as crossing border control at airports.  The use of such technologies in healthcare and medical research is less widespread, however.

Research from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine explores how people feel about such potential applications.  The researchers quizzed over 4,000 adults and found that up to 25% objected to the use of facial image data in healthcare.  A further 30-50% were unsure of the application across eight different scenarios, suggesting an extremely uncertain public of what is largely a foreign technology.

Across the eight scenarios, the researchers found a general acceptance in areas such as diagnosis, security, or avoiding medical errors.  People were far less enthusiastic about using it to monitor symptoms or even for medical research, however.

Tech concerns

It is perhaps worth noting that the participants were equally concerned about a range of other kinds of medical data, including medical records and DNA data.

“Our results show that a large segment of the public perceives a potential privacy threat when it comes to using facial image data in healthcare,” the researchers say. “To ensure public trust, we need to consider greater protections for personal information in healthcare settings, whether it relates to medical records, DNA data, or facial images. As facial recognition technologies become more common, we need to be prepared to explain how patient and participant data will be kept confidential and secure.”

“Our study offers an important opportunity for those pursuing possible use of facial analytics in healthcare settings and biomedical research to think about human-centeredness in a more meaningful way. The research that we are doing hopefully will help decision-makers find ways to facilitate biomedical innovation in a thoughtful, responsible way that does not undermine public trust.”