Facial Recognition Goes Mainstream

Restaurants, airlines and others want to use the technology in everyday commerce. If, that is, customers let them

Once the stuff of science fiction, facial-scanning cameras are becoming a part of daily life in China, where they’re used for marketing, surveillance and social control. Video: Paolo Bosonin. Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg (Originally Published June 26, 2017)
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At CaliBurger in Pasadena, Calif., the fast-food franchise restaurant is testing out a new way for customers to pay: having their picture taken.

When they’re ready to complete their order, they step in front of a large screen at a kiosk to let a facial-recognition system snap their picture. If the system recognizes them, the payment goes through.

CaliBurger...