Mr. Toby Koh

GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR Ademco Security Group

2019 will be the year when facial recognition technology will explode in usage across the world. Facial identity is being used on streets by many governments for public security and surveillance. ATM machines will authenticate our face and allow withdrawals. Point of sale systems will use face as mobile wallets. Face recognition will start replacing smart card access control systems into buildings. Our face will be our badge into automated supermarkets, and video analytics will scan all our purchases and deduct payment as we walk out seamlessly.

Our privacy will be compromised as a result of this convenience. Our whereabouts will be tracked extensively and automatically. Police will request CCTV feed from private buildings for purpose of establishing federated video surveillance platform.

There will be a nationwide public-private partnership against crime.

The wonder then is if governments will be able to protect against cyberattacks and the loss of the data collected.

This year, Ademco Security Group met its expansion goal of one new country every year with entry into its 7th country, Vietnam. Mr. Koh has also learned to be a better father this year than ever before. (He is a father of three children aged 19, 17 and 14.) A truly meaningful personal achievement in 2018: He counseled a person out of suicide.