Face recognition using social data

Faces may be indexed and identified using visual and social criteria. In one example, the visual features of a face are quantified, and the quantification of the features is represented in a vector. Aspects of the vector are then represented in the form of text strings. Social context surrounding the face is also represented in the form of text strings. The text strings-both the visual-based strings and/or the social-based strings-are associated with the face, and are stored in an index. The association of these strings with the face then may make the face text-searchable on both its visual and social features. Searches on these visual and/or social features may be used to help to assist in identifying new images of faces, or to propose tags for users to apply to photos.