Avoiding Facial Recognition of the Future

hypnosec writes "A New York-based designer has created a camouflage technique that makes it much harder for computer based facial recognition. Along with the growth of closed circuit television (CCTV) , this has become quite a concern for many around the world, especially in the UK where being on camera is simply a part of city life. Being recognized automatically by computer is something that hearkens back to 1984 or A Scanner Darkly. As we move further into the 21st century, this futuristic techno-horror fiction is seeming more and more accurate. Never fear though people, CV Dazzle has some styling and makeup ideas that will make you invisible to facial recognition cameras. Why the 'fabulous' name? It comes from World War I warship paint that used stark geometric patterning to help break up the obvious outline of the vessel. Apparently it all began as a thesis at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University. It addressed the problems with traditional techniques of hiding the face, like masks and sunglasses and looked into more socially and legally acceptable ways of styling that could prevent a computer from recognizing your face. Fans of Assassin's Creed might feel a bit at home with this, as it's all about hiding in plain sight."

Comments

Don't forget IR

[plover]

Add IR opaque contact lenses or eyeglasses. Otherwise a camera sensitive to IR could still locate your eyes easily using the Ghost Hunters effect.

I mean hey, if you're willing to paint your face like a zebra and wear a jellyfish wig, popping in a set of otherwise clear contacts should be nothing, right?

Cure worse than disease?

[icebike]

It would seem anyone running around painted this way would attract more police attention than just wearing a slouch hat. Perhaps it might be easier to just get (make) an Infrared LED Hat. Or maybe, take control of your government and vote them out until they remove the cameras.

Re:Cure worse than disease?

[turkeyfish]

"since only people who are up to no good care about the surveillance in the first place."

Perfect PC speech/mentality in our new police state, if you even remotely "look like" you are doing something wrong, its proof that you are. With anti-Talibanism on the rise, expect them to start detaining anyone with a beard or mustache, women who wear scarves, men who wear hats, etc. Coupled, with GOP efforts to eliminate the court system, just think of the money we can save by dispensing with trials all together. Instead we can have un-elected, privately contracted clothing censors, who only have to press and up or down button on their PC's, which will dispatch the drones.

Fantasy becoming reality

[tatman]

And by that I do not mean cameras and facial recognition. I'm thinking about in games and books where the characters had strange hair and make up styles. Now, it's becoming plausible.

Yeah...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's all well and good until masking your identity becomes the same thing as covering up your license plate. illegal

Re:We need a new fashion

[interkin3tic]

Ah, the old "If you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide" argument. Foolish, as it assumes the invasion of privacy will always be used only to increase public safety, and never for more nefarious purposes, while history suggests this will not be the case.