Greatest People on Earth

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Facial Recognition: Biometrics Security or Easy Profiling?

What an app may display in the future


Soon, there will be technology that will allow anyone access to your personal information just by pointing a camera at your face.

 At the upcoming Black Hat conference, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University will show how using facial recognition software can seamlessly bring up information about you. This information can even dig up criminal records and social security numbers. Utilizing cloud computing combined with facial recognition software, they will demonstrate how easy it is to retrieve information on just about anyone who has a picture of their face online.

 Some people are excited about this technology.Those proponents believe that it allows for a more foolproof security system that would only unlock devices and access to sensitive info when the correct facial metrics are met.

 This sounds straight out of Minority Report. Ads that directed at the consumer that call them by name seem really creepy to me. I don't want everyone around me to know my name. They're called 'strangers' for a reason, and I like to keep it that way. 

 Although I am for better security methods, I see this tech being used for many nefarious uses. Someone who's looking for a potential victim for fraud or theft could just scan their phone at people in a crowded square. Using augmented reality, (AR), they could focus on text that pops up next to who's in the view finder. That info could be marital status, size of household, income, scheduled meetings, and other such private information. 

 I only see one way out of this type of profiling. Masks. We all need to buy a fake facial exoskeleton that we use while we're outside, just to make sure no one gets our personal info. That or we could use a time machine and make sure that no pictures whatsoever of our face get put on the web. Which of those seem easier?

 Find the masks here. Find the time machine here.

59 comments:

  1. This technology already exists, I picture the public ever given access to things like SIN number. Even if could pick up for example your name, nothing much more is being discovered then what can be looked up on facebook. It is pretty scary though how ever increasingly hard it seems to get off the grid.

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  2. A golden key can open any door

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  3. since oslo, i hope they start profiling white christians now.

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  4. What it can be used for is kind of scary, pretty soon we'll have people with no online life at all, and having their face surgically altered every so often. I'm probably crazy enough to become one of them.

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  6. I read about these. However, at this point in time they're really easy to fool. Put a hat on, sunglasses, get a haircut and bam, this thing is useless.

    For now anyways.

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  7. its really sad how most new technologies are developed to make our lives worse instead of better

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  8. I don't think it should display personal information such as income.

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  9. I agree with T Papar, why is everything being put in a negative light? Why can't we make something that only has a good use

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  10. Scary stuff. Hat and sunglasses please...

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  11. If I feel like I have nothing to hide, why am I still creeped out by this?

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  12. Makes me want to rage, but the fact we are getting close to this technology is really awesome.
    Should just wear a low tilted hat all the time and carry a bandanna, or mask I guess.

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  13. Really cool tech but needs to be limited, some info is just too personal to give away like this.

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  14. Man, technology improvements and improvisations are not always a good thing, especially when our privacy is in question.

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  15. masks! i was also thinking someone will come up w/ some anti scanner sunglasses, or maybe anti scan face lotion. i think we'll be alright.

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  16. impresing stuff...follow for sure!

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  17. cool technology but I'm not cool with it actualy being used with out people knowing

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  18. This should definitely be illegal. There is no reason for this.

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  19. This totally reminds me of Minority Report! Super cool!

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  20. Not a big fan of all this "big brother" nonsense. I value my privacy.

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  21. Agoraphobics may be on to something.

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  22. this reminds me why i prefer to remain anonomous..dude every time i come to your blog i get paranoid and freaked out lol

    computerfixins.blogspot.com

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  23. How terminator-esque. BTW...made you new blog of the day.

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  24. Scary stuff when you think about it. Very Minority Report-esque

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  25. This is the truth, the way, the light. Also, my wife is giving my a GREAT backrub right now and it is hard to read!

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  26. Pretty creepy. I'd hate to just be singled out in a crowd and all my info given to someone so instantaneously. I've already opted to delete my facebook and social networking stuff because I hate my info being out in the open like that. -shivers-

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  27. Torchwood. That's all.

    p.s. love the line: 'They're called 'strangers' for a reason'

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  28. I'm all for masks becoming social acceptable as the norm

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  29. The government loves stuff like this! When Obama finally gets his hands on the internet kill switch and this were doomed!

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  30. I guess there's a long way to be walk till people get it.

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  31. That's the price we pay for progress. Is it worth it?

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  32. @FabFawk I was thinking the same thing. Creepy Orwellian realities.

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  33. i couldn't have said it better than @shaw

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  34. Great blog man. I loved +follow

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  35. That's crazy! Great blog! Followed.

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  36. on another note, have you ever considered changing your background? It's a bit hard on my eyes... just a thought. ;)

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  37. Awesome post+picture, thanks!
    +Follow

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  38. I wish I had one of those scramble suits from A Scanner Darkly, maybe I should wear a morph suit hood at all times?

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  39. It is honestly scary to think this type of "security" is legal. Im definitely sure though it'll be brought to court. I'll be sure to wear sunglasses and a hat every where I go if this is the case. My privacy is a right not a privileged.

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  40. That really is a scary vision of the future, but surely there is another way forward other than a time machine. Use this technology to find all pictures of you on the internet and have them removed.

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  41. Seriously and most definitely agree this is creepy. interesting read.

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  42. This seems like such a violation.
    Thanks for posting this.
    Be well!
    xoRobyn

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  43. I like the idea of fake masks. I'd look pretty for once. D:

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  44. this cant be legal, 1984 is becoming a reality

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  45. Google will be the skynet of the movies, they have all our information and we don't even care about the importance of it.

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  46. We need this. Then some good hacktivist group will obtain the data from several federal agencies, linking the normal, everyday person to a vast database of those who work for "THE MAN."


    ....Not that I have anything to actually hide from "THE MAN", but, jus' saying.

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  47. biometric face scans scare the hell out of me

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  48. Yeah I'm really not too down with this technology. It freaks me right out

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