I have mixed feelings on the idea of governments or private companies using facial recognition technology. On one hand, the optimism in me believes that facial recognition can be used for many positive and beneficial things in society and our daily lives. On the other hand, I know that not all people think the same and some have agendas with unethical strategies that could exploit the use of facial recognition technology. I also am unsure because I am not as well-educated on the state of facial recognition technology right now, and I am not sure of the extent to which facial recognition can be used and the capabilities and potential that arises. As far as advantages that such technology could provide, I first think of security. Lots of crimes and illegal activity are able to be caught on camera, and suspects with their face recorded would be caught in a drastically shorter time if law enforcement uses facial recognition technology to identify that suspect, as opposed to having to physically look for that person. This method could be applied to other similar scenarios. For example, it could help identify missing children or people by recognizing the face and matching it with the missing person’s identity. Another use for facial recognition technology is the implementation in smartphones. A person can have their face scanned on their phone and when they want to unlock their phone and use it, they just need to show their face to the camera. This function helps with simplicity and takes away problems of having to remember passwords, although I personally think that this is not significantly beneficial. In terms of the role of governments in regulating the use of facial recognition technology, I think there has to be at least some involvement. It is too dangerous for individuals or companies to hold this technology and the knowledge and power that comes with it for some form of laws and regulations to not exist. I’m not sure of what things the government should implement or enforce, but I think there has to be some level of honesty and transparency between the government and the individuals/companies on the data being collected and the methods and usage of that data through technology.