Image Recognition
This year, USC’s annual Welcome Back Concert featured one name that was not on the setlist: PopPay. PopPay is an e-wallet product created by PopID that links a user’s facial features with their payment information, allowing transactions to take place seamlessly through facial recognition. But for some, signing up for a facial recognition payment system was an unnerving request — I overheard one student say in passing, “I don’t like the idea of this whole PopPay thing.” And these concerns are not without reason. Leaked facial recognition data could pose an enormous risk to students, especially with the recent advancements in artificial intelligence technology. The Concerts Committee owes students a reasonable alternative to participating in a private company’s payment system — it shouldn’t sacrifice students’ freedom of choice for a paid sponsorship.