How to turn off Faces and Geotagging?

Hi,

"Faces" will spend a bit of time crunching after you load your pictures, but otherwise you can just ignore these features.

Otherwise, if you'd like to run something just like iPhoto '09 but without faces and places, I'd recommend iPhoto '08 🙂

(Sorry, this probably doesn't really help, but the features are rather unobtrusive if you just don't click on them...)

-Mike

Is there an easy way to turn this off before I let iPhoto 09 access my library
You can tell iPhoto to "Never" loop-up places in the "Advanced Preferences..." window. As to Faces, not sure about it automatically trying to do anything when adding new photos (i.e., haven't added any new ones yet), but Faces didn't do anything until I went to the Faces area and manually selected a photo to invoke the face recognition routines. Would therefore conclude that if you don't access the option, it won't do anything. (But I've been wrong before...)

Ancient_One wrote:
Thanks, gang. Guess the wife will have to live with '08 version until Apple puts in switches to turn off faces.

Don't hold your breath on that one. 🙂

This blows... 221 Minutes of Faces Scanning on an 8-core 3Ghz machine with 6G ram for one of my iPhoto libraries! That means hours of massive reads on the HD at like 34MB/sec for What? So I can find people I already know?

And I still have 3 other libraries! Why would I have to have this on for a library of something like "Artwork" things I would never want face scanned because they are pieces of art? Please, tell me there is a way to run this off in the preference file or something..... Change a TRUE to NO or something?

Please...

I would also be really interested in turning off faces. I really don't care about this feature and I don't want to have iphoto spending hours in doing that.

So any help will be greatly appreciated.

So far we are still all out of luck -- I hate this feature -- I really don't care about people, I sure as heck don't care if Faces recognizes the three people I have in my 15000 photo library...

I too hope they find a way of turning this ridiculous thing off....

After it runs the first scan you can simply forget about it. Other than that:

iPhoto menu -> Provide iPhoto Feedback

Regards

TD

First, when I raised these exact issues (before iLife '09 was released) I was met with less than cordial answers from the very person (who I will not name) who repeatedly writes that it is impossible to "turn off" Faces. I disagree. I believe there are many with the expertise to accomplish what should be (but is not) a simple thing.

Second, the moment I raised privacy issues (the dirty word; surveillance), in my prior post, my Discussion post was immediately terminated and deleted. The reason? "Off topic." Now it seems that many people are discussing this 'off' topic... I will not be surprised if this post is also deleted.

And finally, if other iLife apps can transfer user data (easily) to Apple, like iTunes, why not iPhoto? Why else would it take literally days to crunch that data? The real questions are: Why are the Faces features only 'pause-able' but not open to other preferences? And, if it takes "days" (according to more than one user) to crunch face recognition data, then where is that data going?

Are Mac users as naive as Apple perhaps thinks we are?

In case you have been told otherwise, know this is not a small, insignificant issue.

Message was edited by: Christophe

Christophe

Again, you fail to deal with the most basic question.

If I don't supply faces information - i.e - if I don't actually name the faces in the Library, how on earth is anybody going to extract that information from the Library?

When the application scans for faces it tries to identify faces in photos. When it has done this, then what? It does nothing, nyet, nil, nada, rien. It does not have a single name of anybody. In other words, there is not a scintilla more information available without user input that has been available in every other version of iPhoto. None.

So, if you do not name the faces then it is exactly the same as if the facility is turned off.

Same with Places. Unless you tell the app where the photo was taken - via a previously tagged pic, or by manually inputting the data yourself, then there is no more data available for extraction than in any previous version of iPhoto. So, it is exactly the same as if the facility is turned off.

So, as I asked you the last time: Can explain to me how somebody can extract data +that is not in the Library+ from the Library?

When you can explain that to me, then I'll have cause for concern.

And, if it takes "days" (according to more than one user) to crunch face recognition data, then where is that data going?

That data is stored in two SQL files in the iPhoto Library Folder. Examine them. Look really closely at them. They'll tell you that Pic A has a face at x,y co-ordinate. But it can't identify the person in the pic +unless you tell it who it is+.

Second, the moment I raised privacy issues (the dirty word; surveillance), in my prior post, my Discussion post was immediately terminated and deleted. The reason? "Off topic."

I think it was deleted because it was rude and offensive.

Are Mac users as naive as Apple perhaps thinks we are?

No. Because those of us who are concerned about such things +don't put the data in the Library+.

Last time round I told you I was completely confident that no one can get my Visa PIN number from this Mac. The reason I'm so confident is because that information is not on this machine. So, too with faces data. If the information is not on the machine, how can someone extract it from the machine?

When you can explain that to me, then I'll join you in your paranoia.

Regards

TD

"Again, you fail..."

"Again you fail..." - that's a real nice line. Is that really a polite way to monitor these forums Mr. Devlin? "

I really tried to be polite by not mentioning who keeps harassing me every time I try to comment. After all, I don't want the 'powers' from the 'cloud' to delete my comments (again). Yet, some people just need to be blatant, it's their job.

Are you working for Apple? Did my prior comments hit a little too close to the mark for comfort?

All over the world face recognition software is being used, by security and investigative agencies, police, and military to locate and track people. For them, it is the only use for this technology. But now we are supposed to believe that we must track our own friends and family—without an off switch? This is not 'cool.'

In addition, if anyone scans the Discussions on this topic, one will easily see that there are numerous users who witnessed Faces crunching their large collections of photos for hours. One person mentioned 900 hrs... Whether exaggerated or true, one thing is clear; many people are not making happy faces with Faces.

Yet, certain individuals have nothing better to do than spend all day rationalizing (on this Discussion forum) why we should just "ignore it" and deal with what we don't like or want. Never mind the thousands of dollars we have spent on Apple hardware and software, for years and years. Never mind that some may even own stock in Apple Inc... No, just ignore it.

Then delete less than copasetic comments, which - at one time - used to be called feedback... Please, go ahead, do your job, delete this comment... I know you want to.

But before you do, know this: Faces attempts to scan my photos every time I open iPhoto, and every time I have to quickly hit 'Pause' to stop it. Then there is the video tutorial that automatically opens, in front of the Faces interface, making it hard to pause it—even though the video has already been viewed.

"Again, you fail..." to remember that iLife's iTunes can send user data to Apple. Et tu Faces?

Keep up the great work. Continue to invalidate my comments, or better yet; just delete them (again)—that is your choice... Customers also make choices.

Christophe

I Note that you still do not explain how someone can extract information from the Library +if the information is not there+.

I really tried to be polite by not mentioning who keeps harassing me every time I try to comment.

I'm not harassing you. I'm simply asking you to explain this. But you never do. So, I respond to your comments for the sake of other users who may need re-assurance from your paranoia.

Are you working for Apple?

No. As I’m sure you recall from your careful reading of the Terms of Service you agreed to when you joined the Apple Discussions, this is a User to User forum. I'm just a User like you - albeit not paranoid.

All over the world face recognition software is being used, by security and investigative agencies, police, and military to locate and track people. For them, it is the only use for this technology. But now we are supposed to believe that we must track our own friends and family—without an off switch?

As I keep saying to you - over and over again - unless you name the Faces then there is no more risk to your security from iPhoto 09 then there was from iPhoto 08.

That is unless you can explain to me how someone can extract information from the Library +if the information is not there+.

Can you? Please?

one will easily see that there are numerous users who witnessed Faces crunching their large collections of photos for hours. One person mentioned 900 hrs... Whether exaggerated or true, one thing is clear; many people are not making happy faces with Faces.

And this has what to do with Security? They have large Libraries, large numbers of faces, slower Macs, little RAM, a glitch in the Library? Any or all of the above?

Yet, certain individuals have nothing better to do than spend all day rationalizing (on this Discussion forum) why we should just "ignore it" and deal with what we don't like or want.

I'm not rationalising anything. I'm simply explaining to you and other folks who may read this, that not tagging the Faces is the same as having an Off switch.

Please, go ahead, do your job, delete this comment... I know you want to.

Actually, I have no ability to delete any comment from this forum whatever. If you're unsure how the Forum works, have a read of the Terms of Service. And I don't want to. I actually think my response to your ravings may actually re-assure other Users.

That is unless you can explain to me how someone can extract information from the Library +if the information is not there+.

Can you? Please?

But before you do, know this: Faces attempts to scan my photos every time I open iPhoto, and every time I have to quickly hit 'Pause' to stop it. Then there is the video tutorial that automatically opens, in front of the Faces interface, making it hard to pause it—even though the video has already been viewed.

Um, have a look at that tutorial window. There's a little box on it lower left. Uncheck the wee tick at 'Show this Window when iPhoto Opens'. Then you won't have that bother you again.

Anyway, here's my advice to other Users:

Let Faces do its initial scan.

When it does that it tries to find human faces in the Photos. All it does is identify that there is a face (or more than one) in the Pic. It does not know who the person is. It does not know where the pic was taken. It only knows that there is what it thinks is a human face in the pic.

If you're worried about security, then simply don't add names to the Faces. If you don't tell the computer who that person is, then there is simply no way for the Mac to know who it is.

As to Christophe: unless you can answer the most basic question:

How someone can extract information from the Library +if the information is not there+.

then I think you're only wasting your time and everyone else's.

Your own options include: reverting to iPhoto 08 or earlier, disconnecting your machine from the Internet.

Regards

TD

If you're worried about security, then simply don't add names to the Faces. If you don't tell the computer who that person is, then there is simply no way for the Mac to know who it is.

Or even better name them all Barry Obama - that will confuse the spies scanning your computer

LN

If you really need to lock out all faces then do the following:

1 - create a new library and close it.
2 - open the library package and locate two files, face.db and face_blob.db.
3 - lock those two files from their Info windows.
4 - launch iPhoto import your photos and let iPhoto do it Faces thing.

You will not be able to assign a name to a face. You can go thru the motions of Add Missing Face, give it a name and click on the Done button. Faces will indicate it has one face (at least with my test library) but if you go there there's none. Go back to that first picture, select it and hit the Name button and it acts as if you never were there. There will be no face information in the library for Homeland Security to access. You do have to go thru the initial scan but there's no information compiled as the files are locked and nothing is written to them.