Facial recognition is here to stay. And we should all probably accept it

guest · May 28, 2020

Amazon facial recognition falsely matches more than 100 politicians to arrested criminals
May 28, 2020
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...-recognition-congress-criminals-a9536351.html

Amazon's controversial facial recognition technology has incorrectly matched more than 100 photos of politicians in the UK and US to police mugshots, new tests have revealed.
It is not the first time the software's accuracy has been called into question. In July 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found 28 false matches between US Congress members and pictures of people arrested for a crime.

Technology research and comparison firm Comparitech built upon the ACLU's study by adding UK politicians, uncovering 105 false positives from the 1,959 images tested.
Of the US lawmakers tested, Rekognition incorrectly matched an average of 32 politicians to mugshots, when set to a confidence level of 80 per cent - the default setting and the same that was used in the ACLU study.

"By those standards, Amazon's face recognition hasn't improved and even performed worse that what the ACLU posited two years ago," Comparitech wrote in a blog post detailing the findings.
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"Whether you agree with police use of face recognition or not, one thing is certain: It isn't ready to be used for identification without human oversight."
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Comparitech: Amazon face recognition falsely matches 105 US and UK politicians with police mugshots, but can you trust accuracy claims?

guest · May 28, 2020

ACLU sues facial recognition firm Clearview AI, calling it a ‘nightmare scenario’ for privacy
Alleging Clearview violated a well-known Illinois biometric privacy law
May 28, 2020
https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/28/...-recognition-database-illinois-biometric-laws

The American Civil Liberties Union is suing controversial facial recognition firm Clearview AI for violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), alleging the company illegally collected and stored data on Illinois citizens without their knowledge or consent and then sold access to its technology to law enforcement and private companies. The full complaint is available here.

“Unbeknownst to the public, this company has offered up this massive faceprint database to private companies, police, federal agencies, and wealthy individuals, allowing them to secretly track and target whomever they wished using face recognition technology,” writes ACLU attorney Nathan Freed Wessler in a blog post outlining the lawsuit. “That company is Clearview AI, and it will end privacy as we know it if it isn’t stopped.”

Clearview AI rose to prominence earlier this year thanks to media reports, including a high-profile investigation from The New York Times in January, that revealed its technology is highly accurate and in widespread use throughout both law enforcement agencies and private sector companies
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“If allowed, Clearview will destroy our rights to anonymity and privacy — and the safety and security that both bring,” Wessler writes. “People can change their names and addresses to shield their whereabouts and identities from individuals who seek to harm them, but they can’t change their faces.”
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guest · May 30, 2020

Facial Recognition Challenged by French Administrative Court
May 29, 2020
https://www.hldataprotection.com/20...on-challenged-by-french-administrative-court/

In a decision (French only) dated 27 February 2020, the French Administrative Court of Marseille invalidated the deliberation of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Council which allowed to set up, on an experimental basis, a facial recognition mechanism in two high schools in order to (i) better control and speed up entry of students into the high schools and (ii) control access to premises of occasional visitors.

This decision is important as this is the first administrative court decision in France about facial recognition.
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Experimentation does not preclude privacy requirements
The decision highlights the fact that although the facial recognition processing was still at an experimental stage, it does not preclude the application of data protection principles, in particular as it related here to sensitive data in the form of biometric data and to vulnerable persons such as minors.
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guest · Jun 2, 2020

The DHS Is Working to Access 300 Million More Facial Recognition Photos
The DHS is linking its facial recognition database to the FBI, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State
May 29, 2020
https://onezero.medium.com/the-dhs-...n-more-facial-recognition-photos-eef02e3ccb4b

Historically, federal agencies like the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have had to rely on their own data to run facial recognition or automated fingerprint searches.

But now federal agencies are working to greatly expand access to each others’ facial recognition databases, according to a privacy assessment released by the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month. The move would allow DHS to more easily search the enormous databases of passport or visa holders, as well as many who have been in contact with the criminal justice system.

Removing barriers between facial recognition databases makes it easier for agencies to run even more searches.
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While the DHS privacy assessment says that facial recognition is only used for cases like child trafficking and known transnational drug dealing operations, that has historically not been the case in practice.
All of that means that whether you like it or not, if you have a passport, visa, or have been in the criminal justice system, your face is now up for grabs — and some of the government’s most powerful agencies now have access to it.
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guest · Jun 3, 2020

Mapped: The State of Facial Recognition Around the World
May 22, 2020
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/facial-recognition-world-map/

From public CCTV cameras to biometric identification systems in airports, facial recognition technology is now common in a growing number of places around the world.

In its most benign form, facial recognition technology is a convenient way to unlock your smartphone. At the state level though, facial recognition is a key component of mass surveillance, and it already touches half the global population on a regular basis.
Today’s visualizations from SurfShark classify 194 countries and regions based on the extent of surveillance.

Let’s dive into the ways facial recognition technology is used across every region. [...]
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View the high resolution version of this infographic by clicking here.
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guest · Jun 3, 2020

TrulySecure biometric solution recognizes users wearing face masks
June 3, 2020
https://www.techrepublic.com/articl...solution-recognizes-users-wearing-face-masks/

Sensory, a speech and biometrics recognition provider, announced a modification to its TrulySecure platform that recognizes users wearing face masks. TrulySecure is the company's face and voice biometric fusion platform has previously been able to authenticate device users via facial recognition, and was previously unable to verify individuals wearing protective face coverings.
How the platform works
The updated TrulySecure system uses biometric fusion and multiple enrollments to recognize users wearing masks, as well as detect coughs and sneezes. Not only would the tech help consumers, but it also assists device and app developers to create secure products, according to a press release.
TrulySecure also supports alternate appearances via multiple enrolments.

"TrulySecure does just that, allowing apps and devices to recognize and authenticate users in all conditions, even when wearing masks, thus eliminating the need for people to touch their face or remove their masks when in public," Mozer said.
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Finally, a Biometric Solution That Recognizes Users Wearing Face Masks and Doesn't Require Touch

As state and local governments around the world have started requiring people to wear face masks, many facial recognition systems, like those found on smartphones, are not able to function. Further, most facial recognition solutions cannot enroll the user's face when partially covered by a mask. Data sensitive tasks that are reliant on facial recognition, like unlocking a phone, logging in to an app and processing a mobile payment fail to work. This leaves consumers frustrated and not able to access key functionality on their smartphone.

Sensory's TrulySecure utilizes biometric fusion and multiple enrollments to avoid the limitations of typical facial recognition solutions.
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guest · Jun 4, 2020

California blocks bill that could’ve led to a facial recognition police-state
Campaigners called the bill an 'endorsement of invasive surveillance'
June 4, 2020
https://thenextweb.com/neural/2020/...dve-led-to-a-facial-recognition-police-state/

[...] Californian lawmakers were considering a bill that would have expanded facial recognition surveillance across the state.
Yesterday, following a prolonged campaign by a civil rights coalition, the legislators blocked the bill.

The Microsoft-backed bill had been introduced by Assemblyman Ed Chau, who argued it would regulate the use of the tech by commercial and public entities.
But the ACLU warned that it was an “endorsement of invasive surveillance” that would allow law enforcement agencies and tech firms to self-regulate their use of the tech.

In addition to the concerns around police surveillance, campaigners said the bill promoted discrimination, didn’t properly address accuracy concerns, and that tech firms could easily circumvent the rules.
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The decision by California‘s legislators suggests that they’ve heeded the warning. But for the campaigners, it’s just a small step towards their ultimate goal: a California without face surveillance.
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ACLU: Prevent Expansion Of Facial Recognition Tech (Oppose AB 2261)

While AB 2261 purports to protect privacy, it does the opposite. The bill invites tech companies and law enforcement to self-regulate their use of face recognition, and places no meaningful restrictions on their ability to deploy this invasive technology against the people of California.
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Minimalist · Jun 6, 2020

Researchers call for new federal authority to regulate facial recognition tech

A group of artificial intelligence experts including computer vision researcher and lead author Erik Learned-Miller of the University of Massachusetts Amherst's College of Information and Computer Sciences recently proposed a new model for managing facial recognition technologies at the federal level.
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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-federal-authority-facial-recognition-tech.html

ronjor · Jun 8, 2020

IBM is exiting the face recognition business

Ina Fried 08 June 2020
In a letter to members of Congress on Monday, IBM said it is exiting the general-purpose facial recognition business and said it opposes the use of such technology for mass surveillance and racial profiling
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Minimalist · Jun 9, 2020

Senator fears Clearview AI facial recognition could be used on protesters

Sen. Edward Markey asks if the company considers a history of discriminatory policing before selling the tech to certain law enforcement agencies.
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https://www.cnet.com/news/senator-c...sed-by-police-in-black-lives-matter-protests/

guest · Jun 9, 2020

A Single Company Will Now Operate Facial Recognition for Nearly 800 Million People
Idemia just scored a major new contract with the EU
June 5, 2020
https://onezero.medium.com/idemia-w...on-for-nearly-800-million-people-69b72582202b

Idemia, a French company specializing in facial, fingerprint, and iris recognition, just scored a new contract with the European Union that will include processing images attached to more than 400 million people’s identities. The company’s algorithms will verify the identity of EU residents who were born elsewhere and work for non-EU companies as they enter from external borders.

Idemia doesn’t have direct access to this data as an organization, and these aren’t contracts for live facial recognition for the surveillance of borders. But the company’s algorithms have now become the technology that decides if a person is allowed into much of the Western world.
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It’s hard to understate Idemia’s global reach. The company runs facial recognition for anyone applying for a visa or citizenship in Australia, has partnered with Chilean telecom Movistar so customers can pay in stores with facial recognition, and tests its products in airports around the world, including in Singapore and France.

Idemia also sells live facial recognition, called Augmented Vision, which can be used to pick people out of a crowd in CCTV footage.
All of this is to say that Idemia is a company I keep an eye on, and you should, too.
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Update: This article was updated to correct that Idemia is owned by Advent International, not Thales Group. It has also been updated to clarify that Idemia does not operate the Entry/Exit System.
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guest · Jun 10, 2020

mood said: ↑

CaixaBank customers can use their faces to withdraw money at ATMs
February 15, 2019
https://www.computerweekly.com/news...can-use-their-faces-to-withdraw-money-at-ATMs
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CaixaBank introduces facial recognition ATMs
Spanish bank broadens its use of facial recognition technology on cash machines
June 10, 2020
https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252484427/Caixabank-introduces-facial-recognition-ATMs

Spain’s CaixaBank is rolling out cash machines fitted with facial recognition technology so customers can withdraw cash without entering a PIN.

The bank began using the ATMs in February 2019, with an initial 20 machines installed at major branches in Barcelona and Valencia. The latest plan will see more than 100 additional ATMs with biometric authentication technology rolled out across Spain. The roll-out is expected to be complete in July.

“In the current context of Covid-19, this project is particularly relevant given that it enables us to reduce the physical contact of customers with ATM surfaces,” said CaixaBank CEO Gonzalo Gortázar. “This measure comes in addition to using contactless cards, which contributes to promoting safe terminal use.”
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Before the initial roll-out in February 2019, the bank conducted a survey of customers before deciding to roll out the technology. It found that 70% of respondents would be ready to use it as an alternative to entering their personal identification code on a keyboard.
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hawki · Jun 10, 2020

Amazon will halt police use of its facial recognition tool, Rekognition, for one year.

"We’re implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of Amazon’s facial recognition technology. We will continue to allow organizations like Thorn, the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Marinus Analytics to use Amazon Rekognition to help rescue human trafficking victims and reunite missing children with their families..."

https://blog.aboutamazon.com/policy...-year-moratorium-on-police-use-of-rekognition

guest · Jun 10, 2020

Clearview AI backs facial recognition, despite detractors' worries
June 10, 2020
https://www.cnet.com/news/clearview-ai-backs-facial-recognition-despite-detractors-worries/

Clearview AI, the makers of a controversial facial recognition app, is confident its technology has beneficial uses, as other Big Tech names either exit the marketplace or suspend its use by law enforcement out of fears of misuse. The moves come amid studies showing the technology has low accuracy rates for women and minorities.

Clearview CEO Hoan Ton-That says a study has determined his company's product has no racial bias, singling out competitor Amazon Rekognition as failing in this regard. His criticism comes on the same day Amazon announced a one-year moratorium on the tool's use by law enforcement [...] and just days after IBM announced it's pulling out of the facial recognition market out of concern the product could be used for profiling.

"As a person of mixed race, this is especially important to me," Ton-That said in a statement Wednesday evening. "We are very encouraged that our technology has proven accurate in the field and has helped prevent the wrongful identification of people of color."
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guest · Jun 11, 2020

IBM, Amazon Agree to Step Back From Face Recognition. Where Is Microsoft?
June 10, 2020
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/06/ibm-amazon-end-and-pause-fr-programs-where-microsoft

This week two major vendors of face surveillance technology announced that in light of recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice, they would be phasing out or pausing their sale of this technology to police.

The fact that these two companies, IBM and Amazon, have admitted the harm that this technology causes should be a red flag to lawmakers. The belief that police and other government use of this technology can be responsibly regulated is wrong.
Microsoft is another one of the largest vendors of police-used face surveillance. It must now follow suit and end government use of its facial recognition program.
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The movement to ban face recognition is gaining momentum. The historic demonstrations of the past two weeks show that the public will not sit idly by while tech companies enable and profit off of a system of surveillance and policing that hurts so many.
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guest · Jun 11, 2020

30,000 Unsuspecting Rose Bowl Attendees Were Scooped Up in a Facial Recognition Test
Cameras gathered information on attendees’ gender, age, and whether they matched a list of suspicious persons
June 11, 2020
https://onezero.medium.com/90-000-u...-up-in-a-facial-recognition-test-18c843909858

On New Year’s Day 2020, more than 90,000 college football fans piled into the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, to watch the Oregon Ducks play the Wisconsin Badgers.

It turns out some of those fans were being watched, too. Before they even entered the stadium, thousands of attendees were being captured by a facial recognition system in the Rose Bowl’s FanFest activity area by an ad tech company called VSBLTY.
Four cameras hidden underneath digital signs captured data on attendees, generating 30,000 points of data on how long they looked at advertisements, their gender and age, and an analysis to try and identify weapons or whether they were on a watch list of suspicious persons.
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Three fans who attended the Rose Bowl game and spoke to OneZero said they didn’t remember seeing any notice that they were being surveilled.

“I actually had no idea they were using that type of tech at the game nor was I informed that I would be recorded or analyzed by such tech,” said California resident Benjamin Mercke. “Actually, that’s incredibly concerning to me.”

The data gathering and surveillance operation has not been reported in the mainstream press before and was revealed after VSBLTY issued a press release of its findings. Neither VSBLTY nor the Rose Bowl Stadium responded to multiple requests for comment or questions about how data was gathered, whether fans were informed, and where the watch list of suspicious persons came from.
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guest · Jun 11, 2020

PimEyes facial recognition website 'could be used by stalkers'
June 11, 2020
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53007510

PimEyes describes itself as a privacy tool to help prevent misuse of images.
But Big Brother Watch said it could "enable state surveillance, commercial monitoring and even stalking on a scale previously unimaginable".

Attention was drawn to it following an article published on Medium.
The website allows people to upload any picture for free and it will then find matching images from around the web, drawing on publicly accessible sites such as Tumblr, news outlets and blogs.

"If you found faces which were posted only on Facebook that means that someone else has posted it somewhere else. We crawl only websites that agree in their rules for crawling," it said in an email.
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Using social media images has got facial recognition firm ClearviewAI into trouble. It amassed more than three billion photographs from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which are used by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and 600 other law enforcement agencies around the world to identify suspects.

It acknowledged that it did work with police forces, feeding into Paliscope, a software tool used by law enforcement agents.
But it has removed a reference on its website about searching the dark web for the police.
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This Simple Facial Recognition Search Engine Can Track You Down Across the Internet

PimEyes markets its service as a tool to protect privacy and the misuse of images
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hawki · Jun 11, 2020

mood said: ↑

IBM, Amazon Agree to Step Back From Face Recognition. Where Is Microsoft?
June 10, 2020
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/06/ibm-amazon-end-and-pause-fr-programs-where-microsoft
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"Microsoft won’t sell police its facial-recognition technology, following similar moves by Amazon and IBM

The software giant will ban police use of its controversial facial-recognition systems, as the company awaits regulatory rules for how law-enforcement agencies deploy the technology..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/11/microsoft-facial-recognition/

guest · Jun 12, 2020

A Pause on Amazon’s Police Partnerships Is Not Enough
June 12, 2020
https://slate.com/technology/2020/06/amazon-rekognition-law-enforcement-moratorium.html

A pause on police partnerships isn’t enough. Americans won’t receive the privacy and civil rights protections they need because a company like Amazon decides to give them to us. We need those protections guaranteed by meaningful legislation and regulation, with functional enforcement mechanisms—legislation and regulation that have not been watered down by Amazon.
But the fact that a company as powerful, canny, and obdurate as Amazon feels the need to make us believe that it wants to grant us privacy and civil rights protections gives me hope: It means they’re losing.

While a number of Amazon’s products and services have long been criticized for fueling institutional racism, Rekognition has been the subject of particular focus. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies all over the country are using facial recognition programs—from Amazon and elsewhere—to identify people in photographs and video footage, almost always without their knowledge or consent.
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Tech companies embracing regulation may sound promising, and in some ways it is— but I have no confidence that Microsoft and I share the same definition of what it means for a law to be “grounded in human rights,” or that Amazon’s definition of “ethical” regulation is one that would meaningfully curtail its ability to spy on people.
But while the key details and ultimate effects of Amazon’s announcement remain to be seen, it’s still a heartening indication of how much public opinion has been pushed by tireless privacy and civil rights advocates.
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hawki · Jun 12, 2020

hawki said: ↑

"Microsoft won’t sell police its facial-recognition technology, following similar moves by Amazon and IBM

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/11/microsoft-facial-recognition/
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"Trump Retweets Call for Microsoft Ban From Federal Contracts

President Donald Trump retweeted a post from his former director of national intelligence that called for barring Microsoft Corp. from federal government contracts over its refusal to sell facial recognition software to U.S. police departments...

'They should now be barred from federal government contracts - there should be consequences for not selling technology to police departments'Trump’s former Acting DNI Richard Grenell tweeted..."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...er&utm_term=200612&utm_campaign=closeamericas

guest · Jun 12, 2020

A Bill in Congress Would Limit Uses of Facial Recognition
June 12, 2020
https://www.wired.com/story/bill-congress-limit-uses-facial-recognition/

This week IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft all said they would halt sales of facial recognition to US police and called on Congress to impose rules on use of the technology.

A police reform bill introduced in the House of Representatives Monday by prominent Democrats in response to weeks of protest over racist policing practices would do just that. But some privacy advocates say its restrictions aren’t tight enough and could legitimize the way police use facial recognition today.

“We’re concerned,” says Neema Guliani, senior legislative counsel for the ACLU in Washington, DC, citing evidence that many facial recognition algorithms are less accurate on darker skin tones. She urges a federal ban on facial recognition “unless and until it can be used in a way that respects civil liberties;” Guliani says it’s not clear that that is possible.
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“Regardless of the accuracy of these systems mass surveillance enabled by facial recognition can lead to chilling effects and the silencing of dissent,” Buolamwini says. Last month she coauthored a paper suggesting the creation of a new federal agency to regulate facial recognition, modeled on the Food and Drug Administration.
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Minimalist · Jun 13, 2020

The facial recognition PR glosses over tech’s addiction to policing

But facial recognition is just the start. Technology and policing are interwoven at much deeper levels and there’s plenty of innovation happening to introduce new tech to law enforcement agencies. Police forces and justice systems are experimenting with AI decision-making tools, predictive policing and even connected door bells. Campaigners have called out police forces for quickly developing and deploying new systems before they have been rigorously trialled and evaluated.
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https://www.wired.co.uk/article/ibm-amazon-facial-recognition-police-tech

hawki · Jun 13, 2020

"Big Tech’s pledges won’t keep police from using facial recognition technology...

Publicity stunts from IBM, Amazon and Microsoft won’t be enough to stop police from using facial recognition...

Never mind that none of these companies were major players in the police facial recognition market. (Microsoft admitted it has never sold the tech to U.S. police.) But civil rights leaders and privacy advocates I’ve spoken to this week tell me that what they need is for Big Tech to stop arresting their legislative efforts to make the technology off-limits...

To be clear, this week’s announcements alone won’t likely do much to stop the use of this technology by law enforcement. The most important players in the murky market, such as NEC Corp., Idemia and Clearview AI, are lesser-known companies that have not joined in on the voluntary moratoriums..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/12/facial-recognition-ban/

Krusty · Jun 17, 2020

Facial surveillance is slowly being trialled around the country

When Lauren Dry heard last year that facial recognition cameras were being trialled in the suburb of East Perth, she thought it was a joke.

'I just thought to myself: What do you mean facial recognition cameras, that's sci-fi! That doesn't happen in Perth," she told 7.30.

"And I looked into it and I was, like, this is real."

Ms Dry enjoys a quiet life at home with her young family in Perth's leafy suburbs.

She values her privacy and that of her children, and is careful about what she posts on social media.

"It's this sense of fear and futility — how did this happen?

"But it's here now, and I feel a real sense of powerlessness."
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06...ly-being-trialled-around-the-country/12308282

guest · Jun 17, 2020

Netherlands: AP informs supermarket industry of rules regarding facial recognition
June 11, 2020
https://www.dataguidance.com/news/n...t-industry-rules-regarding-facial-recognition

The Dutch Data Protection Authority ('AP') announced, on 5 June 2020, that it had informed the supermarket industry, through the Central Bureau of Food Trade ('CBL'), about the rules regarding the use of facial recognition cameras.

In particular, the AP outlined that it intends to prevent supermarkets from unlawfully using facial recognition and processing biometric data in order to identify someone, which is prohibited under the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) ('GDPR').
Specifically, the AP highlighted that it had already contacted one supermarket where facial recognition technology ('FRT') had been used and, as a result, the system was removed.
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However, the AP continued that the security of a supermarket is not so important that biometric data can be processed.
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