How facial recognition software can track you in the offline world

How facial recognition software can track you in the offline world.

-- Tom

 

As Ive intimated before ... personalized ads as obnoxious as they are, are only a smokescreen to soften the blow of what its really leading to. A totalitarian system where there will be NO dissent. Don't believe me? Watch this space.

 

Even if you're offline, that hardly means the world around you is as well.

 

No need to wait. We are already in a surveillance state.
- government and local law enforcement track and record license plates of vehicles traveling on the interstate.
- law enforcement agencies openly share information they collect.
- law enforcement agencies are actually pocketing money collected upon the arrest of suspects. Recent news report tracked a woman that fought in court to get her money returned to her. By the time she was done, she had spent more fighting the issue and was only awarded some of the money.
- companies are putting in closed-circuit surveillance and complying with what can be considered warrant-less search and seizures. Not that a company can't be manipulated into putting such a system in. You just have to hire someone to rob or break into the store or home*. That goes for home owners putting in these remote controlled home security systems.
- companies are building a profile on you. From your face recorded on their camera to your credit card or member card information being linked to your purchases and billing address.

I could easily go on, in addition to what was leaked by Snowden and others. The point is people are expecting hard formed: communism/fascism/socialism like we see in countries like: Soviet Russia, Communist North Korea, etc. But the people pushing for this have learned from history you can't force this change. If you do, people feel oppressed and revolt. But if you are subtle, like Hitler was, and you serve it up softly as ideas or addendums (pork) connected to innocent pieces of legislation like a bill to construct a new interstate road. People are generally oblivious to the change. Even if its addressed, there is usually some sound argument or case to be made. It might be connected to a recent school massacre or a cyber attack on the nation. Whatever the case, you now have a bill that approves of filtering specific types of web-content. This kind of stuff happens all the time and has been happening for years. The worse part is everyone has taken part is approving at least one piece of this problem. So we can't really say we are oppressed by it. We enabled this to happen. Plus most of us are on cruise control. The Jimmy Kimmel show has a great segment where they go out and introduce people to the new apple product. In fact, they are showing them the current device, but people can't tell the difference. They think the iphone 5 they are holding is lighter, seems faster, etc. Perception is everything. Who would question a harmless video surveillance system in a convenience store?

 

From what I understand what you have said, good post Techwiz.

Just to add further comment on some points...

Not sure exactly what you mean by "taken part" but I think to a degree we are a product of our era we live within. We are influenced and hooked into things before we fully realize the implications. Sometimes we see it for what it is and make the necessary adjustments, sometimes not (to our detriment). Society in a lot of ways forces us to embrace it's tools and technologies. I don't say this in a ho hum way, but life's like that, especially the last Century, more so than all of history. On that score I don't think we can outright blame everybody but more, those who are willfully blind and keep on being so. Example, the "if we've done nothing wrong we've got nothing to hide" fraternity.

Sometimes a very small minority have changed history sometimes not. Sometimes it's within their hands to achieve it sometimes not. In this case this erosion of our privacy monster won't be stopped, for it is a means to an end and is integral to the plan of those pulling the strings at the top.

So, yes I agree we (not just USA or UK but the whole world ) are already in a surveillance state, but it's currently not in equal proportions, which would be typical as something is being ushered in. I was meaning absolutely, totally and globally. This is only the beginning and I see it getting much much worse yet. This is all maneuvering people into place for ultimate control. If people are anesthetized into a zombie state then that will make the job a doddle.

I believe controlled leaks and controlled opposition all have and are still having their part to play in conditioning and "the numbing and dumbing down" process. I see this in forms from blatantly obvious to extremely subtle all with the same goal, to prep people for the nest step. As you've noted, this takes a long time. Example, Hellivision. It has, more than any other medium, conditioned, hypnotized, mind controlled, reshaped and changed the values of people on a worldwide scale. Unprecedented. Very recently our area has "gone digital" and this is where we've drawn the line. Among other bad things with digital TV's, we're glad to be rid of the best conditioning tool on the planet, which we didnt watch much anyway. Good riddance.

Indeed I could go on too, but unfortunately it would enter into a no-go zone for forum rules.

 

Now they want cameras on TVs

 

Cameras "on"? I thought they were well and truly in TVs long ago?

If they can remotely turn on cell phone mics/cams and your webcams I would be very surprised if TVs weren't compromised years ago.

Reckon you can be rest assured whatever we see now technology wise, was out long before we knew about it.

 

I'm paranoid, but not that paranoid

Also, I always look carefully at new equipment

 

This reminds me of a previous post of mine where I commented on either M$ or an ISP wanting to restrict the number of people watching the Super Bowl in your living room and be able to charge you more for the service if the number was above what they dictated!

The fantasies that Corporate America cooks up about our privacy now that they have been granted person-hood status just to be able to stream the $$$ out of our wallets is deeply disturbing.

Stay out of my living room! It is the other way around - we invite you into our living rooms to be entertained/news snd you don't get to look back at us!

-- Tom

 

Mostly, they just want to know which ads you actually watch, instead of leaving for the kitchen, bathroom, etc. They've become accustomed to tracking everything on the Web, and so they want the same for TV

But, of course, the NSA will also find that data useful.

 

As voters in the U.S., we have as much an obligation to protect our liberties and freedoms. In all the chaos and confusion of school massacres, terrorist attacks, etc. I can understand why some would seek to reform. But at what point should we allow our fears to influence our decisions and allow legislation to undermine our rights? We are all in part guilty to some extent. Either we watched it happen and made no effort to aggressively pursue the subject. Or maybe we occupy an office or position and supported the reform, which at time seemed justified.

Exactly, and I don't think we should be ashamed to admit when we are wrong. Idealistically, I believe their is always room for improvement and it is never too late to take corrective action.

This is a natural progression to be expected. After all, by entering into society we enter into an agreement or contract. We agree to comply with certain laws and cultural/ideological mandates. It is perfectly natural for societies to reject members that do not comply. Hence our long history of mob mentality and people being stoned or shunned/outcast.

Certainly, we still watching this transformation happen. But historically these types of events have been rather fluid and rarely do they stabilize. This is why, I consider the surveillance state a major threat today. This is the point when the most damage is done. Economic instability is a common outcome for these types of governments. Also, I'm not sure surveillance states would necessarily cooperate. By their very nature, they tend to distrust everyone. Including their own citizens and especially their neighboring countries.

Are you thinking about Verizon. I read a while back they were planning on something like this. Microsoft was supposedly considering using the Kinect to limit how many users in a room could access content such as movies, etc. This all begs the question of how these ideas would be implemented and to what extent our privacy is being trampled. Not good at all.

 

I don't remember. I read it on Wilders, I think. It may have concerned a new Microsoft patent. [...DuckDuckGo...] Yes, it was <-http://boingboing.net/2012/11/08/microsoft-patents-spying-on-yo.html->. So yes, Kinect using your TV's camera.