Microsoft Kinect Heats Race Debate: Does Face-Recognition Software Discriminate?

(Daily Finance) — The U.S. has made many strides over the past century toward treating people with equality regardless of the color of their skin, but it seems that technology, surprisingly, has moved at a slower pace. The launch of Microsoft’s (MSFT) long-anticipated motion-sensing video game, Kinect for Xbox 360, has fueled the debate over whether facial-recognition software discriminates against some races. GameSpot noted in a review Wednesday that Kinect’s facial recognition capabilities appear to fail to recognize players with dark skin. It’s by no means the first time that facial-recognition software has faced allegations of being less than fair and equal fashion. Remember last year’s brouhaha over claims that HP’s (HPQ) Webcams failed to track people with dark skin?

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