© National Portrait Gallery 2025
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196
National Photographic Portrait Prize 2018 Finalist
In October 2017, the Council of Australian Governments established ‘The Capability’, a system allowing law enforcement agencies to identify a person in real-time by searching passport and driver’s licence photos. It uses facial recognition technology to create a 'face print’, then matches it with photos accessible through the system.
Use of The Capability is currently limited to identifying people who are suspects/victims of terrorism or serious criminal activity. However, the creation of a national system of images, with powerful search algorithms – and the potential deployment of these technologies in public spaces – transforms the conception and application of digital portraiture, and raises concerns about how this technology may be used in the future.
The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.
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