The Obama administration will early next year launch a review into the privacy issues for users when their images are captured by video recognition technology.

The fear is that tech companies and government agencies are using such technologies to track people, often without their knowledge, according to The Hill.

A number of mobile payment firms are trialling video recognition in order to speed up checkout and payment processes in shops and cafes.

“Facial recognition technology has the potential to improve services for consumers, support innovation by businesses, and affect identification and authentication online and offline,” said Larry Strickling, the Obama administration’s assistant commerce secretary and the administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which will conduct the review.

The NTIA will aim to develop a code of conduct on the subject.

It is possible that the opt-in nature of mobile payment apps (where users would accept the use of their video image by retailers or cafes) might exempt companies to some extent from such a review.