Photograph permission management integrated with real-time facial recognition

1. A computer-implemented method for sharing digital media, comprising:

locating faces within a digital image;

identifying individuals portrayed in the digital image based on the located faces;

adding the identified individuals to an access control list for the digital image to enable the identified individuals to access the digital image, including setting a level of access for the identified individuals for the digital image in the access control list that is selected from the group consisting of an ability to view, edit, delete, copy, and tag;

authenticating an access request from a requesting user based on a facial match between a facial image of the requesting user and a face of one of the identified individuals in the digital image, after adding the identified individuals to the access control list; and

granting access to the digital image to the requesting user, in accordance with the level of access of the matched identified individual in the access control list.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein authenticating the access request comprises obtaining a facial image of the requesting user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein obtaining the facial image of the requesting user comprises accessing a stored facial image associated with a profile of the requesting user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein obtaining the facial image of the requesting user comprises taking a current picture of the requesting user's face.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein authenticating the access request further comprises comparing the obtained facial image of the requesting user to a face of the requesting user in the digital image.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein authenticating the access request further comprises:

determining that the facial image of the requesting user does not match the face of the requesting user in the digital image; and

authenticating the access request with a username and password received from the requesting user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein authenticating the access request comprises determining that the requesting user is included in the access control list for the digital image.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein adding the identified individuals to the access control list comprises setting access permissions for the identified individuals and storing a location of a face of each identified individual within the digital image.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer readable program for sharing digital media, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform the steps of:

locating faces within a digital image;

identifying individuals portrayed in the digital image based on the located faces; and

adding the identified individuals to an access control list for the digital image to enable the identified individuals to access the digital image, including setting a level of access for the identified individuals for the digital image in the access control list that is selected from the group consisting of an ability to view, edit, delete, copy, and tag;

authenticating an access request from a requesting user based on a facial match between a facial image of the requesting user and a face of one of the identified individuals in the digital image, after adding the identified individuals to the access control list; and

granting access to the digital image to the requesting user, in accordance with the level of access of the matched identified individual in the access control list.

10. A system for sharing digital media, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory that stores computer program code which, when executed by the hardware processor, implements:

face detection code that locates faces within a digital image;

face matching code that identifies individuals portrayed in the digital image based on the located faces;

photo manager code that adds the identified individuals to an access control list for the digital image to enable the identified individuals to access the digital image, and sets a level of access for the identified individuals for the digital image in the access control list that is selected from the group consisting of an ability view, edit, delete, copy, and tag; and

authentication code that authenticates an access request from a requesting user based on a facial match between a facial image of the requesting user and a face of one of the identified individuals in the digital image, after the identified individuals have been added to the access control list, and that grants access to the digital image to the requesting user, in accordance with the level of access of the matched identified individual in the access control list.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the authentication code further obtains a facial image of the requesting user.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the authentication code further accesses a stored facial image associated with a profile of the requesting user.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the authentication code further requests a current picture of the requesting user's face.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the face matching code further compares the obtained facial image of the requesting user to a face of the requesting user in the digital image.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the authentication code further determines that the facial image of the requesting user does not match the face of the requesting user in the digital image and authenticates the access request with a username and password received from the requesting user.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the authentication code further determines that the requesting user is included in the access control list for the digital image.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the photo manager code further sets access permissions for the identified individuals and stores a location of a face of each identified individual within the digital image.