Apple Buys Facial Recognition Co. RealFace

February 20, 2017 | Apple Inc. has acquired Israeli startup RealFace, a cybersecurity and machine learning firm specializing in facial recognition authentication technology. According to Israeli financial news website Calcalist, the deal was worth “a couple of million dollars”.  Founded in 2014 by Adi Eckhouse Barzilai and Aviv Mader, the Tel Aviv-based startup had developed a unique facial recognition technology that integrates artificial intelligence and “brings back human perception to digital processes”. RealFace’s software is said to use proprietary IP in the field of “frictionless face recognition” that allows for rapid learning from facial features. RealFace’s first product, the Pickeez app, created a new way to enjoy photos, with its recognition software automatically choosing the user’s best photos from every platform they’re on. RealFace is the fourth Israel-based firm Apple is known to have acquired. In 2011 it bought flash memory maker Anobit for a reported $400 million, then in November 2013 it acquired 3D sensor company PrimeSense for an estimated $345 million. Most recently in 2015, Apple bought LinX for around $20 million.