FACES IN THE CROWD
Facial recognition software has come a long way in just a few years. Law enforcement agencies sometimes use it an an investigative tool. Some corporations use it as a screening tool; the faces of their employees are their ‘keys’ to company buildings. ‘Smart cameras’ recognize their faces and activate automated door to admit them.
There is a sinister aspect in facial recognition software, though. The people of Russia, for example, are finding out that it can be used for underhanded purposes. No matter where a person goes, anyone with the right connections or enough resources can track him down by picking his likeness out of a crowd photo.
FindFace, an advanced facial recognition platform launched a mere two months ago, enables 70% reliability in recognition of individual faces in photographs of crowds. The FindFace software compares the images to photos on Vkontakte, a social network popular in Russia and other states that were once in the Soviet Union. Vkontakte hosts more than 200 million accounts.
The Findface platform has seen phenomenally heavy use, given that it’s only two months old. It has already conducted more than three million searches of its database of about a billion photographs.
According to The Guardian, a London newspaper: “In future, the designers imagine a world where people walking past you on the street could find your social network profile by sneaking a photograph of you, and shops, advertisers, and police could pick your face out of crowds and track you down via social networks.”
Alexander Kabakov, one of the founders of FindFace, said that its facial recognition service could enhance dating and romance. “If you see someone you like”, he said, “you can photograph them, find their identity, and then send them a friend request.” If this seems a bit creepy to you, Kabakov said the platform need not involve surreptitious street photography. “It also looks for similar people”, he said. “So you could just upload a photo of a movie star you like, or your ex, and then find ten girls who look similar to her, and send them messages.” Well, okay, then. You have nothing to worry about, right?
A 70% success rate may not seem especially impressive, but with a bigger database, better software, and one or two hardware upgrades, the system’s accuracy could approach 100%. All faces, in all public places, will be vulnerable.
Despite Kabakov’s breezy insouciance about it, FindFace is a serious potential threat to privacy and freedom. The platform could be a boon to stalkers, rapists, and vengeful ex-lovers. Advertisers would find it valuable for targeting ads by viewer interest and location. Despotic regimes and political activists could use it to identify opposition demonstrators, exposing them to harassment, intimidation, assault, or even murder. FindFace even admits being willing to consider an offer from the FSB, the Russian security bureau that succeeded the Soviet KGB and that employs many of the same rough methods.
Kabakov brushes aside privacy concerns, insisting that we must accept living under nearly constant surveillance. “In today’s world we are surrounded by gadgets”, he said. “Our phones , televisions, fridges, everything around us is sending real-time information about us. Already we have full data on people’s movements, their interests, and so on. A person should understand that in the modern world he is under the spotlight of technology. You just have to live with that.”
There is no perfect way to protect our privacy. With every advance in computer and internet technology, it becomes even more difficult. If strangers can recognize us by tracing our likenesses in crowd photos to our social media accounts, our only sure protection lies in remaining homebound. No faces are completely safe. All faces may betray their owners.
We are not completely helpless, though. There are a few steps we can take to enhance our privacy.
Follow a few common-sense security protocols any time you’re online. And consider wearing dark sunglasses whenever you leave your house.
(Do you need better computer security? Do you need a more reliable internet connection? Talk to us. We can help.)