Intel abandons intrusive facial recognition for your TV - for now

Intel has decided it won't include facial recognition in its upcoming set-top box for now because it doesn't work so well in low light conditions like, say, a lounge.

Oh yeah, and it's incredibly intrusive and no one seemed all that keen on the idea.

Although Intel tried to spin the facial recognition tech as a feature that would recognise who was watching television so it could personalise show recommendations, it was largely assumed that the data would be used to offer targeted advertising.

Questions were also raised about what else Intel might do with its knowledge of your personal TV habits, and whether we really want anyone watching us watch TV.

The news of the early demise of the facial recognition feature comes by way of the Wall Street Journal, which spoke with Intel's corporate VP Erik Huggers.

Iced

Intel isn't abandoning the idea of a set top box - far from it. The company has a 350-strong team working on the service which mixes on-demand shows with live TV programming that you can control.

It's not completely ditching the facial recognition plan either - it is only on ice "for now". With Google making big plays for your living room with its low-cost Chromecast stick and rumours of an Apple TV set still circling, the fight for your TV has only just begun.

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