2001 was before mobile phones with cameras. It was years before big social networks. Years before the selfie became common. There simply weren’t that many image

2001 was before mobile phones with cameras. It was years before big social networks. Years before the selfie became common. There simply weren’t that many images of faces on the web, comparatively speaking. As Creative Commons arose, the idea of harvesting an enormous amount of ordinary people’s faces was not something people were thinking about.