In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the history of photo sharing on Facebook, why real name policies online are revolutionary, what one mom found when she went undercover online, and the growth of facial recognition technology.

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The History of Photos on Facebook

PCMag shares an interesting infographic from Pixable.com that details how photo sharing has changed over Facebook’s history. The information is very interesting and reveals the many subtle ways that Facebook has pushed users to share more and more photos on the site. Facebook predicts that by the end of the summer, there will be more than 100 billion photos on the site.

Why Real Name Policies are Revolutionary

In a very engaging article for The Atlantic, Alexis Madrigal explains why Facebook and Google’s policies of requiring real names are revolutionary. Quoting the article, “In real life, we expect very few statements to be public, persistent, and attached to your real identity… Online, Google and Facebook require an inversion of this assumed norm. Every statement you make on Google Plus or Facebook is persistent and strongly attached to your real identity through your name.” Madrigal’s assessment reflects the growing importance of online reputation management.

Aussie Mom Goes Undercover on Facebook

An Australian mother wanted to see what her 15-year-old daughter might face online, so she set-up a fake Facebook account pretending to be a 14-year-old girl. After gaining 76 friends, the mom set out to see the kinds of things teenagers share online. She was quickly shocked to see cyberbullying, pornography, and vulgar exchanges. While the mom’s actions violated Facebook’s terms of service, they did provide insight into why Australia is debating a possible resolution to allow parents access to their children’s social media accounts.

Facial Recognition Technology Grows Despite Privacy Concerns

Despite considerable concern from privacy advocates, facial recognition technology continues to boom, particularly within consumer tech products.This piece from The Atlantic Wire discusses how consumer interest in facial recognition technology has led to the development of a range of products, including a device that uses facial recognition to customize TV programming based on a scan of who is watching.