While the iPhone 8 isn’t expected to be released until later in the year (some sources even say the release may be as late as 2018), speculation has been rife about what features the smartphone will and won’t have (R.I.P headphone jack).
But there’s one rumoured feature in particular that’s been causing debate between Apple fans all over the world, and that’s the introduction of facial recognition.
Apple earlier this year agreed to a near $250m deal with Korean electronics company LG Innotek (who already make the iPhone’s cameras), and the rumours are the newest edition to the iPhone family will feature a front-facing module designed for facial recognition.
If the facial recognition feature is indeed rolled out on the iPhone 8, there’s speculation that Apple will in turn dump it’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
So why the debate? People feel that introducing facial recognition is just another way for the government to collect data and spy on regular citizens. Documents released in the WikiLeaks ‘Dark Matter’ data dump suggested the CIA has been bugging iPhones since 2008, and Macbook computers from an even earlier date.
More so, the documents also reveal programs developed by the CIA to hack iPhones, Androids, smart TVs and Microsoft, Mac and Linux operating systems.
For those not so concerned about the possibility of your government spying on you, the facial recognition feature will be a hit. But with the amount of tech-head feathers this news has already rustled, we already know it’s going go be a controversial feature.
