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Weaponizing Our Faces

posted by janrinok on Friday July 11 2014, @05:47PM   Printer-friendly
from the my-paper-bag-will-also-work dept.

Bringing to our attention a bizarre but interesting idea that increasingly pervasive facial recognition techniques can be defeated by wearing 'everybody's face', Venomous Coward writes:

In 2011, taken by the emergence of mass protest movements around the world, artist Zach Blas began making, "Facial Weaponization Suite, (2011 - present)."[Video]

Facial Weaponization Suite is a series of community workshops which discuss and resist biometric facial recognition technologies and the larger political ethos which supports and enforces them. The workshop participants then have their own faces scanned and compiled into a collective mask, a mask which resists any biometric quantification. Vice got Blas on the phone to learn a little more about the project.

The mask does appear to defeat the many algorithms that are currently employed by tracking cameras that are used in many countries. Of course, some countries have already brought in or at least proposed legislation to ban the wearing of any kind of mask in public (unless a masquerade party is being held) but, in the case of a mass demonstration, it might be enough to protect an individual from being recognised or having their movements tracked unless (s)he was physically detained. How long will it be before legislation is brought in to outlaw the manufacture or sale of such masks?

 
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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Friday July 11 2014, @06:02PM

    by frojack (1554) on Friday July 11 2014, @06:02PM (#67739) Journal

    I misread the title, and almost spit coffee all over the desk.

    You are already starting to see Anti-Mask laws [wikipedia.org], and they have been in place for a long time in many different countries. Some of these kick in only when there is a demonstration or "riot", others are full time.

    For a while LED hats (brim full of UV or IR LEDs were all the rage, with instructions on how to make them posted in several places, including youtube. These links are slowly disappearing, and I suggest its for a reason.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 11 2014, @06:09PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 11 2014, @06:09PM (#67744)

    I thought the title was implying using ugly faces as weapons because they're so ugly just looking at them could cause blindness.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by frojack on Friday July 11 2014, @06:23PM

      by frojack (1554) on Friday July 11 2014, @06:23PM (#67752) Journal

      I thought the title was implying using ugly faces as weapons because they're so ugly just looking at them could cause blindness.

      Ah, the Basilisk weapon [wikipedia.org].

      Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) this dread weapon has been overcome by beer goggles, and blindness has been overcome, although there is still the occasional morning run from the bedroom screaming and clutching one's eyes.

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