TCU professor Sharrona Pearl explores how facial recognition technology is reshaping ideas of identity, anonymity and privacy. In her chapter included in the 2024 DeGruyter book “Physiognomy at the Crossroad of Magic, Science, and the Arts,” Pearl examines the evolving relationship between face and self and how advances in surveillance technology are making it increasingly difficult to disappear.
“It’s gonna get more and more difficult to get off the grid and hide and render yourself invisible,” said Sharrona Pearl. “If you’ve ever gone into a store, if you’ve ever traveled on a plane, if you’ve ever crossed the border, they have your face.”
Pearl’s research highlights the growing ethical and societal questions surrounding privacy in an age where the face has become a powerful form of data.