Snapdragon 8 Gen1 is the new processor for Qualcomm's smartphones, presented today after much hype. The performance of the SoC is comparable to those of MediaTek Dimensity 9000, the corresponding top of the range of the Taiwanese company. But as we always say, not all that glitters is gold. With the new Qualcomm processor also comes one feature that worries the most privacy-conscious users: this is the feature called "Always on Camera".
Snapdragon 8 Gen1 debuted today, heralding the arrival not only of Xiaomi 12 but also of a frightening feature: Always on Camera
Snapdragon 8 Gen1 brings with it the "Always on Camera". Similarly to the Always on Display, this novelty will allow (trivially) to camera to always remain active. But what does this mean? If we use a smartphone with unlocking via facial recognition, the feature will allow you to unlock the device itself in no time.
In a nutshell, Snapdragon 8 Gen1's “Always on Camera” mode enables the front sensor of the device and causes the system to continuously monitor the user's face. This is a novelty, which according to Qualcomm comes to bring more security and allow the unlocking of the device through facial data. Technology is also capable of identify when the user is out of range of the camera and automatically blocks access to the system. A function similar to what we find when some Bluetooth devices are configured to keep the phone unlocked, but in this case via facial verification by the selfie camera.
Read also: Qualcomm and Google collaborate on a new neural architecture
According to the developer, the “Always on Camera” feature can be customized to have other features as well as the ability to lock or unlock the phone, such as the option to restrict the display of certain notifications when an unregistered face is detected.
But let's get to the point: some users are worry about privacy. Basically they say that having the camera always active, the device it can "know" where we are. A well-founded concern, but not that much. All the data we send with the device (even when not using the smartphone) contribute to mark our position in the world. Likewise, you know when we talk about something and Google or Facebook show it to us on ads? Well, we don't have to be so worried about "Always on Camera" as there are far more intrusive features.
In any case Qualcomm ensures that user privacy is well protected and there are no risks of sensitive data leakage.
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