Microsoft patents face recognition search - good for dating?

Microsoft just registered a patent involving face recognition that could be used in the dating industry called "Image Based Face Search". The new patent makes it possible to compare an uploaded photo (from a mobile phone or PC) against millions of photos available in databases and try to find a match.

There at least a couple of ways this new patent could be used for dating applications - for example matching someone's profile on a dating service against a photo of someone that you happen to regard as attractive. Something similar already exists on a dating site whose name/address I cannot remember at the moment, but it's much more primitive, and is basically a hand edited matching algorithm. On the other hand, if you're a bit of an artist you could sketch the facial traits of someone you'd find beautiful and try to find matches in the real world. Also, if you happen to have seen someone whom you liked but didn't make contact, the patent could be used to try to match your description (graphical of course) against photos on dating services.

Read in more detail about the new patent here.

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