Appearance Recognition Guides

BluSKY Person Reader Deployments Across the U.S.

BluSKY’s appearance recognition is safe, private, and opt-in. Still, some cities and states have adopted rules that limit or condition how face recognition can be used. This page summarizes those rules so that customers and integrators know where BluSKY’s approach is accepted, where conditions apply, and where recognition must be disabled.

Key Takeaways

Only one “hard stop”: Portland, OR. Face recognition cannot be used in private-sector places of public accommodation.

• Government-only bans (e.g., SF, Boston, Minneapolis, Portland ME) do not affect private deployments.
• Consent-focused states (IL, TX, WA, NY): BluSKY’s on-reader opt-in/opt-out and “no biometric measurements stored” approach is well aligned. Just ensure signage, consent logs, and retention schedules are in place.
• Proof-of-presence photos are not biometric templates. They are event logs and generally outside the scope of these bans, but best practice is to disclose their use in local privacy policies.

BluSKY Recommended Practice

1. Enable on-reader opt-in/opt-out everywhere – satisfies consent requirements and empowers individuals.
2. Deploy signage where required (e.g., NYC commercial spaces).
3. Publish data retention & deletion policies – follow stricter state rules (IL/TX/WA) as your baseline.
4. Disable appearance recognition in public-facing areas in Portland, OR.

✅ Bottom line: With BluSKY, compliance is straightforward: only Portland, OR requires disabling appearance recognition; elsewhere, BluSKY’s opt-in design and dynamic, non-biometric storage approach put you ahead of legal requirements.

What It Is

• Appearance recognition lets you use your face for fast, secure access.
• It works alongside your card, phone, PIN, or QR code.
• Enrollment happens instantly—no extra steps needed.

What We Store

• A proof-of-presence photo is captured at entry, just like a badge swipe photo.
• This photo links the person at the door with the access event.
• BluSKY does not store biometric measurements (like eye distances or face blueprints). Instead, your face is converted into a secure, meaningless code used only inside the system.

Your Control

• Opt in or opt out at any time—just present your card and tell the reader your choice.
• Use your face alone or combine it with your card, phone, or PIN.
• You decide what’s most comfortable for you.

Why Use It?

• No fumbling for your badge or phone.
• Instant recognition and entry.
• Safe, private, and completely under your control.

✅ Bottom line: BluSKY appearance recognition is convenient, secure, and respects your privacy. It’s always your choice—and it makes access easier than ever.

Proof of Presence vs. Biometric Data

Like many modern security systems, BluSKY captures a proof-of-presence photo when someone uses a Person Reader. This is part of the security protocol:

• It shows who was physically present at the moment of entry.
• It links the photo to the access event (badge swipe, phone credential, QR code, PIN, or face recognition).
• It allows security teams to detect if someone is using a badge or credential that does not match the person presenting it.
• What BluSKY does not do: we do not store or use face measurements—like the distance between your eyes, or a “blueprint” of your face—that could be reverse-engineered. Instead, appearance recognition works by converting your image into a secure, dynamic code that has no meaning outside the system.

You’re in Control

Every individual decides for themselves whether to use appearance recognition.

• Opt in or out at any time: Simply present your credential at a Person Reader and say you’d like to use your face—or not use it.
• Use it your way: You can choose appearance recognition by itself or in combination with your other credentials, like a card, phone, QR code, or PIN.
• Your comfort level matters: If you prefer to use only your card or phone, you can do that. If you want the convenience of face-based check-in, that’s available too.

Why People Choose It

Opting into appearance recognition makes access and check-in fast, seamless, and secure.

• No fumbling for your badge or phone.
• Instant recognition at any Person Reader.
• Enrollment happens automatically—nothing extra to do.
• It’s safe, private, and completely your choice.

✅ Bottom line: BluSKY’s appearance recognition provides the convenience of using your face as your identity, without the privacy risks of traditional biometrics. You remain in control, your data cannot be reverse-engineered, and proof-of-presence photos serve only as part of the building or facility’s security protocol.

Traditional Biometrics: Fixed and Risky 

Traditional biometrics work by extracting fixed, human-engineered measurements:

• Fingerprints: ridges and bifurcations are mapped.
• Iris scans: patterns of rings and crypts are stored.
• Early facial recognition: distances between eyes, nose, jawline, and other geometry were captured.

These systems then stored a template of your body that is:

• Fixed for life (you can’t change your iris or fingerprint).
• Directly tied to your physical traits, making it easy to link back to you.
• Vulnerable: if stolen, you cannot “reset” your face or fingerprint the way you reset a password.

This raised major privacy concerns. Once exposed, your biometric identity could never be made private again.

Modern Appearance Recognition: A New Approach 

BluSKY’s Person Readers don’t rely on static, hand-crafted measurements. Instead, they use neural networks to create what’s called an embedding:

• An embedding is a mathematical representation of your face in high-dimensional space (think hundreds of numbers).
• These numbers are not eye distances, not nose widths, not jawline angles—they have no human meaning.
• They exist only to allow the system to separate one person from another in a safe, consistent way.

Even more important:

• Embeddings cannot be reverse-engineered into a usable face. At best, researchers can produce blurry, generic likenesses that don’t reveal who you are.
• They are dynamic—as models are retrained and improved, the codes evolve. Unlike a fingerprint template, they don’t last forever.
• They are system-specific—your embedding only works inside BluSKY, with BluSKY’s models. Outside the system, it’s just random numbers.

Proof-of-Presence: Security Without Exposure 

Like many security systems, BluSKY also captures a proof-of-presence photo whenever you use a Person Reader.

• This photo links the event to the person physically present.
• It ensures no one is using a badge or credential that belongs to someone else.
• It is used only for auditing and security—not for building a biometric template.

This is fundamentally different from storing biometric measurements. A proof-of-presence photo is like a time-stamped record in the security log, not a reusable “key” to your identity.

Control Is Always Yours 

We’ve built BluSKY so that you always decide:

• Opt in or out anytime: Present your credential and tell the Person Reader your preference.
• Combine credentials: Use appearance recognition by itself, or pair it with a card, phone, QR code, or PIN for added security.
• Comfort first: If you’d rather not use appearance recognition, simply opt out—you can still use your other credentials.

Why This Is Safer Than Traditional Biometrics 

1. No permanent templates: Unlike fingerprints or iris codes, BluSKY’s embeddings are dynamic and refreshable.
2. No human-readable data: The system stores numbers, not measurements that can map back to your physical body.
3. Non-reversible: No one can reconstruct your face or identity from BluSKY’s stored codes.
4. Proof-of-presence only: Photos are used for event auditing, not as biometric templates.
5. Full user control: Opt in or out at any moment.

Convenience Without Compromise 

With BluSKY appearance recognition, you get the best of both worlds:

• Fast, hands-free access without badges or phones.
• Security backed by proof-of-presence photos.
• Privacy by design, with no biometric measurements stored.

✅ Bottom line: BluSKY appearance recognition is not traditional biometrics. It’s a modern, safe, privacy-conscious system that puts control in your hands. You’re not giving away your identity—you’re simply choosing the most convenient way to prove it.