Latest facial recognition software can identify you even if your face is COVERED, exchanging even more privacy for “safety”

Source: Latest facial recognition software can identify you even if your face is COVERED, exchanging even more privacy for “safety”

govtslaves.com

by JD Heyes

 September 14, 2017

 

Soon it will be impossible to cover up your face and hide your identity as you engage in a criminal activity, thanks to up-and-coming facial recognition technology.

The bad news is, you won’t be able to hide in plain view either, just to protect your privacy.

As reported by the UK’s Daily Mail, the technology under development has already progressed far enough to virtually “unmask” people in most situations. The Disguised Face Identification (DFI) system employs an AI network as it maps facial features hidden behind scarves, head gear, and even fake beards and mustaches to identify people.

No doubt the system can be integrated with criminal databases so that flagging of wanted people can be done instantaneously; in fact, such systems already exist for automobiles. As Natural News has reported as far back as 2013, police departments have been using license plate readers that allow cops to instantly identify people wanted for various crimes as they drive by their vehicles.

Police aren’t concerned about privacy and the incredible amount of hackable data being collected by the readers. Rather, they’re more concerned with revenues: As the Boston Globe reported in May 2013, one $24,000 plate reader paid for itself in just 11 days. “We located more uninsured vehicles in our first month . . . using [the camera] in one cruiser than the entire department did the whole year before,” said Boston PD Sgt. Robert Griffin.

Now, authorities want to take instant database identification a big step further with new facial recognition technology, which will put a quick end to remaining anonymous in public.

“This is very interesting for law enforcement and other organizations that want to capture criminals,” said Amarjot Singh, a University of Cambridge researcher who helped develop DIF technologies, in an interview with Inverse.

Here’s how the technology works: DFI utilizes a deep-learning AI neural network the research team ‘trained’ by inputting images of test subjects using several different kinds of disguises. In addition, images fed into the network included simple and complex backgrounds that challenged the AI to identify disguised features under a variety of scenarios.

Notes the Daily Mail:

AI identifies people by measuring the distances and angle between 14 facial points — ten for the eyes, three for the lips, and one for the nose.

It uses these readings to estimate the hidden facial structure, and then compares this with learned images to unveil the person’s true identity.

Good, you say. In this age of masked Antifa terrorists, it will be good for police to have the technology to identify who is actually responsible for attacking other people, burning cars, and destroying businesses. (Related: America’s universities now becoming terrorist training hubs for Antifa.)

But what about when the technology misidentifies someone as being guilty of committing a crime or act of violence? Because that’s bound to happen; no technology is 100-percent effective or, in this case, foolproof.

Also, there is so much potential for abuse with this technology. If it is deployed widely, authorities will literally be able to track you no matter where you go.

Plus, this technology dramatically alters the relationship between American citizens and all levels of government. Our founders and subsequent generations established a system of justice that presumes innocence until one can be proven guilty; technologies like this DFI and license plate readers are changing that paradigm from “presumed guilty until authorities can prove you are innocent with a wash through government criminal databases.”

And, of course, there is the dramatic loss of privacy and the threat in the Internet age of having more of your personal information stolen from yet another database.

“…[T]his is maybe the third or fourth most worrying ML paper I’ve seen recently re: AI and emergent authoritarianism. Historical crossroads,” tweeted Dr. Zeynep Tufekci, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina, in posting the research to Twitter.

“Yes, we can & should nitpick this and all papers but the trend is clear. Ever-increasing new capability that will serve authoritarians well,” he added.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

Twitter.com

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com

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Case study of LAPD and Palantir’s predictive policing tool: same corruption; new, empirical respectability

Allowing this technology to be used by corrupt, ignorant racist doofus coppers: what could go wrong?

Source: Case study of LAPD and Palantir’s predictive policing tool: same corruption; new, empirical respectability

http://www.blacklistednews.com

Source: Boing Boing

Sept 10, 2017

UT Austin sociologist Sarah Brayne spent 2.5 years conducting field research with the LAPD as they rolled out Predpol, a software tool that is supposed to direct police to places where crime is likely to occur, but which has been shown to send cops out to overpolice brown and poor people at the expense of actual crimefighting.

Brayne observed and interviewed more than 75 cops to get a picture of how the job of policing is changed by big data-based “predictive” tools. She found that the tools changed police from a law-enforcement agency to an intelligence agency, concerned more with surveilling people who had not committed a crime than to interdicting or solving crimes in the world.

The cops she interviewed were bullish on Palantir’s products, though they also candidly admitted that predictive tools allowed them to put an objective face on their existing, illegal racial profiling practices (“[Y]ou can’t target individuals especially for any race… [W]e didn’t want to make it look like we’re creating a gang depository of just gang affiliates or gang associates. . . . We were just trying to cover and make sure everything is right on the front end”).

Predictive policing casts a very wide net. Whereas before, the police would only assemble a file on you if you were suspected of a crime, the Palantirization of policing means that “police increasingly utilize data on individuals who have not had any police contact at all.” Tools like the Automatic License Plate Reader log the movements of everyone in a city; then, if a predictive policing algorithm fingers you as being somehow connected to a suspect, all your movements, going far back in time, are summoned up and delivered to the police (the same goes for other automated bulk-collection records, like cellphone surveillance through IMSI catchers and records requests to phone companies).

In Brayne’s words, it’s no longer the case that individuals engage in incriminating acts, now, “individuals lead incriminating lives—daily activities, now codified as data, can be marshaled as evidence ex post facto.”

What’s more, these tools are a ready made for “parallel construction…the process of building a separate evidentiary base for a criminal investigation to conceal how the investigation began, if it involved warrantless surveillance or other inadmissible evidence.” This means that any protections embedded in warrantless surveillance regimes (like the inadmissability of evidence) are easily circumvented by law enforcement.

Brayne paints a picture of law enforcement, Palantir and co working together to keep business-as-usual in place, but with a veneer of empiricism. A cop who “knows” that someone is guilty can cast ever-wider surveillance nets until he finds confirming evidence, then he can rebuild his case using sources that are admissible in court, railroading his chosen perp into prison with the appearance of mathematical objectivity, rather than the racial bias that resulted in the LAPD coming under a Department of Justice consent decree.

As Brayne says, “Characterizing predictive models as ‘just math,’ and fetishizing computation as an objective process, obscures the social side of algorithmic decision-making. Individuals’ interpretation of data occurs in preexisting institutional, legal, and social settings, and it is through that interpretive process that power dynamics come into play.”

This article examines the intersection of two structural developments: the growth of surveillance and the rise of “big data.” Drawing on observations and interviews conducted within the Los Angeles Police Department, I offer an empirical account of how the adoption of big data analytics does—and does not—transform police surveillance practices. I argue that the adoption of big data analytics facilitates amplifications of prior surveillance practices and fundamental transformations in surveillance activities. First, discretionary assessments of risk are supplemented and quantified using risk scores. Second, data are used for predictive, rather than reactive or explanatory, purposes. Third, the proliferation of automatic alert systems makes it possible to systematically surveil an unprecedentedly large number of people. Fourth, the threshold for inclusion in law enforcement databases is lower, now including individuals who have not had direct police contact. Fifth, previously separate data systems are merged, facilitating the spread of surveillance into a wide range of institutions. Based on these findings, I develop a theoretical model of big data surveillance that can be applied to institutional domains beyond the criminal justice system. Finally, I highlight the social consequences of big data surveillance for law and social inequality.

 

Big Data Surveillance: The Case of Policing [Sarah Brayne/American Sociological Review] (Sci-Hub mirror)

(via 4 Short Links)

Facial recognition tech turns people into ‘waking ID cards,’ warn privacy activists

Source: Facial recognition tech turns people into ‘waking ID cards,’ warn privacy activists — RT UK

RT UK

18 Aug, 2017

© Roland Weihrauch / AFP

 

Police force use of facial recognition technology in public spaces risks turning people into “walking ID cards,” a civil rights group has told RT.

Campaign director at Privacy International, Harmit Kambo, said the technology, which scans people’s faces against a mass database of facial profiles, risks labeling innocent people as “troublemakers.”

His comments come after the Home Office announced it will invest more in facial recognition technology for police, despite widespread criticism that it may be illegal as it infringes the right to privacy.

Transparency activists, MPs and independent regulators are concerned that police forces across England and Wales currently have 16 million facial profiles stored in their databases – the equivalent of almost 25 percent of the population – which can be used alongside the technology.

“Widespread use of facial recognition technology in public will have a profound impact on the freedom we take for granted when we go about our daily lives in public spaces.

“It turns us all into walking ID cards,” the Privacy International campaigner said.
Although CCTV surveillance has been in use for several years, the new scanning technology brings monitoring to a “whole new level,” and risks giving the police unprecedented powers, Kambo warned.

“The police will have the power to know where you are, even if they do not suspect you of any crime whatsoever.”

The Home Office said a biomimetic strategy will be published in “due course.”

Kambo also raised concerns over the lack of a public and parliamentary debate about the use of the “intrusive” technology and the extent to which police forces are able to deploy it.

The Metropolitan Police plans to use facial recognition technology at the Notting Hill Carnival next week, which attracts up to 2 million revelers every year.

However, the Privacy International campaigner questioned the implications the real-time use of such technology will have on the public.

“Will it mean that everyone who attends the Notting Hill Carnival later this month will have their face photographed and kept on a police database permanently?

“Will it mean that everyone who attends peaceful protests, marches and demos in the future will be profiled as potential troublemakers?”

The use of the monitoring system at the carnival has been branded “institutionally racist,” as it targets Britain’s largest African-Caribbean event.

“It is racial profiling. They are coming and putting everyone’s face in the system,” Stafford Scott, of the anti-racism charity the Monitoring Group, said, according to the Guardian.

“A technique they use for terrorists is going to be used against young black people enjoying themselves.

“They are still institutionally racist, that will impact on communities like mine.”

This is How You Can Dodge Facial Recognition Software

Source: This is How You Can Dodge Facial Recognition Software

This guide was originally published by Jeremiah Johnson at ReadyNutrition.com

http://www.shtfplan.com

Jeremiah Johnson
January 26th, 2017
ReadyNutrition.com

Helen of Troy, according to the Odyssey, was “the face that launched a thousand ships,” prior to the Greek invasion of Troy.  You and I, on the other hand, are the faces that launch an army of CCTV cameras ready to capture our images when we walk past them.  We just covered winter camouflage tips and techniques.  Camouflage is an important part of your prepping, in terms of being able to effectively hide yourself and your supplies from prying eyes.

One of the biggest problems that we encounter is not blending in with the terrain in a wilderness environment, however, but what we face in an urban and suburban environment.  As mentioned in previous articles, you have to camouflage in accordance with the environment you find yourself within.  It would not be intelligent to stroll down the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard dressed up in Realtree-patterned garb with a holstered sidearm and a hunting knife.  You would undoubtedly be “noticed,” and probably take a ride in a black and white, courtesy of the police department.

There’s an article that gives some very stark details about the 250 million security cameras in existence throughout the world.  The article entitled “Opinion: Facial recognition will soon end your anonymity,” written by Tarun Wadwha on 6/4/2016 explains this in detail and how new developments in software and the ever-growing number of cameras everywhere are reducing your chances to remain anonymous.  Chances are that your face has already been scanned and entered into a database without your knowledge. Knowing these things, there are a few measures that we can take…and these are directed toward urban and suburban dwellers to give them an edge.

What these Statists are trying to do is to create a “map” of where you are and what you’re doing, along with the times and dates of your activities.  Go and see (or rent out) the latest “Jason Bourne” movie to really get a feel for the intricacies of how these Law Enforcement agencies, the government, and other interests utilize the public domains to tie into their surveillance of you and your family.

6 Ways to Dodge Biometric Verification

Here are some things you can do, and keep in mind to help lower your signature:

1. Wear sunglasses during the daylight hours…breaking up the potential to photograph your eyes, the way they are set into your face, and any eye movements that might give away what you are doing (what you’re getting ready to do).
2. Wear a hat, especially one that covers up the ears. Baseball caps are fine, but they really focus on the ears – their shape and proximity to the side of your head – for identification purposes.  The caps also bust up the curvature of your head and also hide the hair and hair patterns.
3. Wear scarves, turtlenecks, and other clothing such as balaclavas to break up the outline of the neck.
4. Gloves: hide the hands, your marital status, and scars, fingernails, or other prominent features…even the fingerprints can be photographed.
5. Layered clothing: yes, this is great to protect from the cold, but I’ll give you another reason to wear it. The Doctrine of Contrasting Colors.  For a “real-time” view of this look no further than the movie “The Recruit” with Colin Farrell and Al Pacino.  Farrell escaped from his pursuers by shedding the outer layer of his clothing and reversing the jacket.  You can do the same.  Make the green sweatshirt disappear when the need arises with a change to a tan polypro top with a zippered neck.
6. Rule of Thumb: “When the Need Arises.”  Yes, you can pack yourself a small “kit” with darker-toned makeup/lighter-toned makeup such as skin cream, and also hats of various types different from the ones you normally use.  A wig may be a quick fix to turn your hair from brown to blonde.  There are also movie supply sites you can visit that will sell you real mustaches actually made from human hair.  Sound stupid?  It won’t if you use it and it keeps you out of a cell.  This measure is for when it’s really hitting the fan…not for “day to day” activities.

Another big problem to overcome with all of this surveillance is the fact that most people have their constantly clicking and snapping little phone-cameras to take pictures of every single thing on the planet within their “biome,” and it’s these individuals who serve as “silent witnesses” to help the surveillance state gather as much info as they can.  In addition, let’s not forget that every photo you post, twitter, place on Facebook, or download in any capacity does indeed become “scarfed up” by the government.  That $50-billion-dollar facility in Utah wasn’t built to help out Olan Mills with their photography work.

Be aware, and not just of others but of yourself.  Reduce the “footprint” you put out by learning where the cameras are where you work and on your trips back and forth to your house.  Disable the little camera-dot on the top edge of your laptop with 2 layers of aluminum HVAC duct tape pieces.  Disable the microphone within it as well.  Bottom line: you have to pull security for yourself and on yourself to reduce the chances of them cataloguing your every move.  Don’t give them what they need to build up their files.

We are entering into a phase in our country with a moment of decision to come with the U.S. elections.  Martial law is always just around the corner, waiting to be inflicted on us.  These are techniques you’ll have to incorporate into your daily routine and they’ll take some practice.  Awareness and the ability to act on what is happening around you are the keys you’ll need to be able to make it all work.  We’d like to hear any suggestions you have on the matter that may work for others.  Keep fighting that good fight, and stay away from those cameras!

Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne). Mr. Johnson was a Special Forces Medic, EMT and ACLS-certified, with comprehensive training in wilderness survival, rescue, and patient-extraction. Mr. Johnson is an ardent advocate for preparedness, self-sufficiency, and long-term disaster sustainability for families. He and his wife survived Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Cross-trained as a Special Forces Engineer, he is an expert in supply, logistics, transport, and long-term storage of perishable materials, having incorporated many of these techniques plus some unique innovations in his own homestead.

This article first appeared at Tess Pennington’s Ready Nutrition.com.

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Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, a comprehensive guide that uses real-life scenarios to help you prepare for any disaster. Because a crisis rarely stops with a triggering event the aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. The well-rounded, multi-layered approach outlined in the Blueprint helps you make sense of a wide array of preparedness concepts through easily digestible action items and supply lists.

Tess is also the author of the highly rated Prepper’s Cookbook, which helps you to create a plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply and includes over 300 recipes for nutritious, delicious, life-saving meals.

Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com for an extensive compilation of free information on preparedness, homesteading, and healthy living.