Facial recognition may have appeared to be a futuristic technology in sci-fi movies, yet today it is widely used both in public and private settings. We can unlock a smartphone with just a glance, tag our friends on social networking apps or even swap one face with another in pictures. In some cases, these apps also notify us if we appeared in someone else’s profile picture. Apart from our lives on social media, recent advancements have brought facial recognition technology out of the research lab and into everyday usage. Not only can facial recognition software and applications identify a person’s image in photographs and videos, but they can also detect it in real-time.

Facial recognition technology is also being used to control access to high-security facilities like laboratories, bank vaults, and storage spaces where restricted access is required. Without the need for specific authorizations, keys, or passcodes, facial recognition can allow everyone to conduct their business operations with ease. Many organizations even upgraded their access control systems during the pandemic by switching out passwords or fingerprint readers with ones that use facial recognition technology. Some other case uses involve government organizations that utilize the technology in places like airports to reduce identity theft, find missing people, and identify criminals.

Given the COVID-19 outbreak, there is a strong emphasis on contactless interactions along with the escalating cybersecurity concerns which demonstrate that securing physical and online spaces is more important than ever before. Therefore, facial recognition and other forms of biometric authentication will be crucial in the current security landscape.

Propagating the technological revolution in Pakistan, iTecknologi Group of Companies is one of the leading conglomerates, known to provide innovative tech-based solutions. The speed and scale of their technological advancements in the past few years have been immense. Its latest offering iFace, a face recognition software is designed to store, delete, save and disable registered faces in line with local legislation. Enterprise-class data encryption ensures that facial data and personal information are not at risk from security breaches.

With iFace, you can instantly identify pre-registered ‘unwanted’ visitors in crowded areas, such as hooligans or criminals held on your database. You can also pre-register authorized visitors, such as staff or ticket holders, and identify those gaining unauthorized entry to restricted areas. Pre-registration of authorized people ensures smoother people flow and better crowd management. Whenever anyone attempts to gain unauthorized access, an alarm notifies your surveillance system and can immediately mobilize staff on the ground.

iFace optimizes the performance of your technology while minimizing the demands on your resources. The system can be configured with cameras to capture pre-registered unwanted visitors. To reduce the bandwidth load on the facial recognition server, ‘best shot technology’ ensures that only the best facial images are ever transmitted.

The latest generation of iFace makes use of the world’s most powerful facial recognition engine, allowing users to record and match faces to those held in your database, even in the most challenging circumstances. This deep learning facial recognition technology overcomes the difficulties faced by conventional technologies, such as sunglasses or mask, faces that have aged since first registration on database, angled faces, poor lighting, and motion blur.

iTecknologi’s cutting-edge iFace extreme surveillance technology is perfectly suited to stadiums, airports, stations and subways, Leisure facilities (museums, amusement parks, and entertainment venues) retail centers and shopping malls, schools, universities, hospitals, and critical public infrastructures, including government premises and prisons.

The future outlook for facial recognition technology offers a variety of applications across numerous potential growth markets as it is expanding its use cases and capabilities. It will be interesting to see how it disrupts various industry verticals. However, these advancements will certainly need to be paired with their own privacy standards, but the net gain to users’ security is worth navigating and considering today, for the challenges of tomorrow.

Sep 28th, 2022 – KARACHI: Kuaishou International Business (KSIB), parent business to leading short-form video platforms – Kwai and SnackVideo – released today their second Transparency Report covering from January 1st, 2022 to June 30th, 2022. Based on the results of the report, KSIB (Kwai/ SnackVideo) has set stricter Community Guidelines in order to further enhance protective measures taken by the platform to ensure user digital safety and wellbeing.

“Transparency Reports are important to us,” said Calvin Liu, Head of Compliance, Communication, and Partnership. “They not only help us create a safer environment for our users but also ensure we are accountable to the actions we take to safeguard our platforms and protect its integrity.”

Key highlights from the report include:

Community Safety Efforts that emphasize on Integrity and Authenticity, Suicide and Self-Harm, and Dangerous Content to better balance the safety and experience of users.

Safeguarding Election Integrity contributing to the integrity of electoral processes and liberties, and limiting threats that misinformation poses online and offline to individuals and democratic institutions and norms.

Community Guidelines Enforcement marking 8,205,948 videos removed worldwide for violating our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service.

Legal Requests identifying that KSIB established a centralized law enforcement portal to receive government requests in 2022 in order for authorities to be able to submit court orders and emergency requests where we assure them to respond promptly.

“Publishing a Transparency Report is one way for us to increase understanding and awareness of the policies, enforcement actions, and approach to privacy and security as well as to show our commitment to ensuring our users’ online safety,” concluded Liu.

KSIB Transparency Reports are available and downloadable through the following links :

Transparency Report 2021:
https://www.kwai.com/safety/resources?id=transparency
https://snackvideo.com/transparency

Transparency Report 2022:
https://www.kwai.com/safety/resources?id=transparency https://snackvideo.com/transparency

The CEO of Total PARCO Pakistan Limited (TPPL), Mr. Mehmet Celepoglu, extended heartfelt condolences to the flood-stricken families affected by the recent disasters in different parts of Pakistan and expressed that Total PARCO stands with them during this difficult time.

He announced the launch of Total PARCO’s nationwide Natural Disaster Relief initiative ‘Project Daffodil’ that is mobilizing its entire stakeholder base across Pakistan, a big family of TPPL. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, the initiatives will be rolled out in phases aimed at creating a sustainable impact.

Immediate support in Phase 1 has already commenced for the provision of fundamental necessaries through its partner organization. TPPL, together with their Retail Business Partners, will contribute One Million Rupees every day for a month to support the flood victims. In more than 20 cities, 70+ service stations of Total PARCO have been dedicated as Natural Disaster Relief Corners with their helpline, Muawin – 0800 – 87751, acting as a hotline for TPPL’s flood relief efforts.

As part of Phase 2, Total PARCO will continue to work with hospitals and universities for the rehabilitation of the displaced communities.

Over thirty million people in Pakistan have been affected by the unprecedented rains and catastrophic floods. Many areas are still submerged underwater and there is an urgent need for emergency assistance. TPPL has always initiated endeavors to support people’s well-being and will continue to do so. Mr. Mehmet assured that the big family of Total PARCO will leave no stone unturned in the efforts to help revive the lives of flood affectees.

With surging inflation and rising real estate prices, the world is witnessing its middle-class shrink day by day, and millions of individuals living below the poverty line. However, when some people lose money, some make money which is what is happening. According to Bloomberg reports, millionaires will see their wealth increase by 40% in the next 5 years and the “how” is very simple. The rich own most of the assets and with the asset prices increasing day by day, money is going into their pockets. In addition to that, Credit Suisse Group claims that by 2026, the world would witness 87.6 new millionaires with net worth amounting to $1 million.

Forecasts indicate that the number will increase more quickly in emerging economies with China’s population of millionaires nearly doubling. Despite the fact that the world’s 500 richest people collectively lost $1.4 trillion in wealth in the first half of the year, Credit Suisse predicts a quick rebound, particularly for developing economies. Even while its economy is beginning to show symptoms of strain due to Covid-19 lockdowns and crackdowns in areas like IT and real estate, the Swiss bank expects China to continue accumulating enormous amounts of wealth. Private wealth is expected to increase by 36% to $169 trillion by 2026, according to Credit Suisse, with wealth per adult expected to increase by 28% globally and reach $100,000 in 2024. There will be 385,000 people who are ultra-high net worth, defined as having more than $50 million.

Although many individuals and corporate sectors had seen their assets plummet downward due to the pandemic and the lockdown that followed it, these corporate industries were quick in gaining their lost momentum and are making all-time-high profits now. Within the next five years, according to Credit Suisse, they should close the gap with the developed world. Compared to a 4.2% increase in high-income countries, fortunes will increase by 10% yearly in emerging economies.

Read more: A Passwordless Future? What is Stopping Businesses?

Global wealth increased by 9.8% to $463.6 trillion in 2021 from 2020, registering the largest rise since the century’s commencement. The richest 10% of persons controlled 82% of the world’s wealth, while the top 1% owned 46% of all household assets. More than 140,000 ultra-high net worth individuals were found in the US, followed by 32,710 in China.

Although the gap between the middle class and upper class is widening in some economies, this is not the case with countries in general. The gap between rich and not-so-rich countries is narrowing down since economies are growing exponentially using technology to their advantage and shifting to renewable sources of energy, especially as the Russia-Ukraine war has strained the supply of oil and petroleum.