Windows Edition of Free Facial Recognition Launched

Are schools ready for the use of facial recognition? RealNetworks, which recently announced plans to make its new SAFR facial recognition software free to K-12 schools, has launched its Windows version. The program already runs on Mac and iOS. The company said it would make the application available without charge to schools in the United States and Canada to enhance school safety by helping front office people recognize staff, students and visitors in real time.

To address privacy concerns related to the use of this software, the company has also released guidance for schools.

According to the company, SAFR adheres to "privacy by design," a concept introduced decades ago to describe an organization's commitment to privacy in its systems and business processes, to ensure strong data privacy practices and give people personal control over their information.

In the case of facial recognition, RealNetworks advised schools to begin possible implementation by communicating with stakeholders — parents, staff and students — to solicit "thoughts and concerns."

If the decision is made to move forward with deployment, the guidance suggested, those same stakeholders need to be notified of the installation "and "told precisely what data will be collected and how it will be used."

The company recommended that schools obtain "explicit consent," which goes beyond simply posting a sign to the effect that anybody entering the premises agrees to be photographed. A better approach, the guidance said, would be to have everybody sign a document stating that they agree "to be recorded so that my face can be matched to a database of people allowed to enter this campus. I understand that my data will not be shared with any third parties and will not be retained for more than one year." And when a user wants to revoke consent, the data should be immediately "removed from the system and destroyed."

The best practices also touched on data security (make sure it's "password-protected, encrypted and [accessible] by a select group of ... users"), data retention (keep it as short as possible) and transparency (make sure those affected by the system know about updates and changes to school policy).

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • laptop on a clean desk with colorful image icons dynamically emanating from the screen

    Stability AI Intros Stable Diffusion 3.5 Text-to-Image Generation Model

    Stability AI, developer of open source models focused on text-to-image generation, has introduced Stable Diffusion 3.5, the latest version of its deep learning, text-to-image model.

  • A child surrounded by glowing, fluid virtual patterns and holographic shapes, illuminated in a dark gradient environment of blue, purple, and pink.

    ClassVR Gets Expanded VR/AR Content Library

    Avantis Education has announced a new content library for its ClassVR virtual and augmented reality platform. Dubbed Eduverse+, the library features four content suites — EduverseAI, WildWorld, STEAM3D, and CareerHub — that can be tailored to suit a variety of educational levels.

  • AI-themed background with sparse circuit lines and minimal geometric shapes

    Microsoft to Introduce AI Agent Building Tools in Copilot Studio

    In November, Microsoft plans to roll out a public preview of a new feature within Copilot Studio, allowing users to create autonomous AI "agents" designed to handle routine tasks.

  • Google Classroom tools

    Google Announces Classroom Updates, New Tools for Chromebooks

    Google has introduced a variety of features across its products for education, announced recently at the 2025 BETT ed tech event in London. Among the additions are enhancements to Google Classroom and new tools for Chromebooks, "designed to help address the diverse needs of students around the world," Google said in a blog post.