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U.S. agency: Pandemic masks thwarting face recognition tech:
Having a tough time recognizing your neighbors behind their pandemic masks? Computers are finding it more difficult, too.
A preliminary study published by a U.S. agency on Monday found that even the best commercial facial recognition systems have error rates as high as 50% when trying to identify masked faces.
The mask problem is why Apple earlier this year made it easier for iPhone owners to unlock their phones without Face ID. It could also be thwarting attempts by authorities to identify individual people at Black Lives Matter protests and other gatherings.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology says it is launching an investigation to better understand how facial recognition performs on covered faces. Its preliminary study examined only those algorithms created before the pandemic, but its next step is to look at how accuracy could improve as commercial providers adapt their technology to an era when so many people are wearing masks.
Some companies, including those that work with law enforcement, have tried to tailor their face-scanning algorithms to focus on people's eyes and eyebrows.
NIST, which is a part of the Commerce Department, is working with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security's science office to study the problem.
Aww, I feel so bad for the little guy! Perhaps we can help out by training up a neural net to correlate masked and unmasked photos.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Snotnose on Tuesday July 28 2020, @10:37PM (2 children)
I understand you have no right to privacy in a public space. However, being able to look back several months into the past to see where I've been, that's a problem. Most cops aren't interested in solving the crime, they're interested in closing out the case and sending someone to prison. If your movements just happen to be "hey, that's awfully suspicious, let's arrest him" then you're looking at a minimum of $30k in legal fees if it doesn't go to trial, over $100k if it does go to trial, and potentially prison.
It's why I don't have a front license place and back into parking spaces.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by c0lo on Tuesday July 28 2020, @11:09PM
I understand I shouldn't have expectations of privacy in public places.
However, I don't know why shouldn't I have the right to wear a mask. Even without covid.
My choice to engage or not in activities were I need to be identified (e.g. going into a bank, were I should get my mask out), but why shouldn't I have the right to wear a mask on the street?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2020, @12:32AM
"It's why I don't have a front license place"
Not sure where you live but at least here, in California, I believe both front and back plates are required.