Toward a Privacy-Preserving Face Recognition System: A Survey of Leakages and Solutions

Abstract Recent advancements in face recognition (FR) technology in surveillance systems make it possible to monitor a person as they move around. FR gathers a lot of information depending on the quantity and data sources. The most severe privacy concern with FR technology is its use to identify people in real-time public monitoring applications or via an aggregation of datasets without their consent. Due to the importance of private data leakage in the FR environment, academia and business have given it a lot of attention, leading to the creation of several research initiatives meant to solve the corresponding challenges. As a result, this study aims to look at privacy-preserving face recognition (PPFR) methods. We propose a detailed and systematic study of the PPFR based on our suggested six-level framework. Along with all the levels, more emphasis is given to the processing of face images as it is more crucial for FR technology. We explore the privacy leakage issues and offer an up-to-date and thorough summary of current research trends in the FR system from six perspectives. We also encourage additional research initiatives in this promising area for further investigation.