Intel abandons intrusive facial recognition for your TV - for now

Intel abandons intrusive facial recognition for your TV - for now
Recognise this, Intel

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.

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.