No Smiles At NJ Motor Vehicle Commission

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No Smiles At NJ Motor Vehicle Commission

Posted by timothy on Thursday September 20, 2012 @06:47AM from the when-instructions-are-redundant dept.

Reader Presto Vivace blesses us with news that the state of New Jersey "has banned motorists from making big smiles [for their license pictures] because such expressions don't work with facial recognition software." Now that passports are by decree grim and glasses-free, I'm expecting the next phase to involve the banning of facial hair, lips, and any hair that blocks the ears.

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thanks for the info by Nyder · 2012-09-20 06:49 · Score: 2

going to be smiling big time when i get my next ID.

--
Be seeing you...
1. Re:thanks for the info by PRMan · 2012-09-20 07:29 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Don't lie. Nobody smiles in NJ, because it's NJ...
  
  --
  Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
2. Re:thanks for the info by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2012-09-20 08:16 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  NJ = No Joysey?
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
3. Re:thanks for the info by ebh · 2012-09-20 08:21 · Score: 2
  
  We smile all the time, just not when you're around.
4. Re:thanks for the info by Psion · 2012-09-20 09:38 · Score: 2
  
  Yooo-hooo! Mr. DHS officer? Yeah, I think this guy knows BlueStrat.
5. Re:thanks for the info by CanHasDIY · 2012-09-20 10:07 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  going to be smiling big time when i get my next ID.
  Easy fix (sort of).
  Just refuse to apply for state ID or driver's licenses.
  
  Yup, and lose your ability to drive, vote, have access to government buildings and services...
  
  Not being arch, just pointing out facts.
  
  If 100's of thousands or millions of drivers refuse to apply for licenses and drive anyway, are they going to shut down the streets and roads? Arrest a large proportion of the entire state's population?
  Nah, they'll just turn it into another revenue-generation mechanism and continue pounding our collective asses, just from a different angle.
  
  I'm sick and tired of this emerging police state. You're *far* more likely to be struck by lightning or be attacked by sharks than to be killed by a terrorist attack.
  Well, now, that all depends on your definition of terrorism - if we go by the dictionary, then a person actually is far more likely to be harmed by a terrorist than struck by lightning. The catch is, said terrorist will likely be wearing a government-issued uniform, and be imbued with authority by whatever fascist regime is in charge at the time.
  
  Yet the sheep continue to baa for more and rush to hand over ever more of their freedom, give the terrorists in government ever more power to enslave them, and fork over ever more of the people's wealth to pay for the chains.
  Strat
  Yup, it's truly sickening. Also a good part of the reason I always want to punch anyone who pops off with "you get the government you deserve." No, motherfucker, I get stuck the government you deserve, 'cuz you (collectively speaking) are a bunch of self-centered pussies, too scared of your own shadow to stand up for yourself and your neighbors.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Smiling foold facial recognition? by KatchooNJ · 2012-09-20 06:52 · Score: 5, Funny

So... To flip this... does that mean if I smile when doing something naughty, I won't be recognized by the serious computers?

--
"Never give up, for that is just the time and place when the tide will change." -Harriet Beecher Stowe ^_^
1. Re:Smiling foold facial recognition? by Firehed · 2012-09-20 06:53 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Cue the Joker references.
  
  --
  How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
Noone at the MVA smiles by stevegee58 · 2012-09-20 06:56 · Score: 2

so why should we?
Smilex! by gl4ss · 2012-09-20 06:57 · Score: 2

Smilex! it's good for you!
also, anyone smiling is now a terrorist suspect.
though, in all fairness, crying probably foils the sw too. as long as your nose, cheeks and lips move it's fucked.

--
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
No smiles in Ohio by Geoffrey.landis · 2012-09-20 06:59 · Score: 5, Informative

That's not new. No smiles in Ohio, either-- I renewed my license over a year ago, and was quite firmly instructed that smiles were not allowed in drivers license photos because it screws up the facial recognition software.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10249834-71.html
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/27/states-adopting-no-smiles-policy-for-drivers-licenses/
http://www.webanswers.com/legal/why-can-t-you-smile-in-your-drivers-license-picture-84ffba

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http://www.geoffreylandis.com
1. Re:No smiles in Ohio by Shatrat · 2012-09-20 07:06 · Score: 2
  
  Nor Indiana. I wonder if they all use the same software with the same readme?
  
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  09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
2. Re:No smiles in Ohio by fearlezz · 2012-09-20 07:12 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Nor the Netherlands. Seems politicians want to wipe every single smile of our faces.
  
  --
  .sig: No such file or directory
3. Re:No smiles in Ohio by pixelpusher220 · 2012-09-20 07:18 · Score: 2
  
  Virginia too, my wife just got her license renewed and wasn't allowed to smile.
  
  --
  People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
4. Re:No smiles in Ohio by Immerman · 2012-09-20 07:41 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Actually I don't think the software even "sees" glasses, they don't affect the control point recognition, but glasses can throw human-powered facial recognition off, and it's a lot easier for an official to ask you to remove your glasses when confirming your identity than to have you wear the same style as in your photo if you've changed them or are wearing contacts. Also glasses and flash photography don't get along all that well (glare hides your eyes), and do you really want *another* reason for the barely competent person at the DMV to spend three hours trying to do something simple for the person in front of you?
  
  --
  --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
5. Re:No smiles in Ohio by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-20 07:51 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I work as an engineer in ohio for the company behind all this and can tell you facial recognition never works anyhow.
6. Re:No smiles in Ohio by The+Grim+Reefer · 2012-09-20 08:03 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  It's been almost two years since I renewed my license in Virginia too. What's even funnier is that the guy ahead of me had a tee shirt on with Bob Marley on it. The print of Bob smiling on the shirt screwed up the camera (or operator) somehow. After several attempts they made him turn his shirt inside-out.
7. Re:No smiles in Ohio by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2012-09-20 08:15 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I renewed my license over a year ago, and was quite firmly instructed that smiles were not allowed in drivers license photos because it screws up the facial recognition software.
  That means you have to smile while driving. :-)
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
8. Re:No smiles in Ohio by cayenne8 · 2012-09-20 09:23 · Score: 2
  
  I wonder...is there no way to object to submitting to 'facial recognition' on privacy grounds....maybe associating it with being an un-warranted intrusion on a citizen's privacy without probably cause??
  
  --
  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
9. Re:No smiles in Ohio by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2012-09-20 09:55 · Score: 2
  
  Nor the Netherlands. Seems politicians want to wipe every single smile of our faces.
  Dutch stories don't count - they're harder to blame on American politics.
  
  --
  #DeleteChrome
10. Re:No smiles in Ohio by J'raxis · 2012-09-20 11:39 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  You could always move to a state that doesn't engage in such privacy invasions, such as New Hampshire. Here, you can actually check off a box on the license application form requiring them to not even store your photo in their database.
  The New Hampshire Legislature also prohibited its DMV from implementing the federal "Real ID" program which is what's driving a lot of this crap. The state also prohibits its agencies and localities from implementing red light cameras, license plate readers, &c., too.
  
  --
  Liberty in your lifetime
Re:That's ok by knarfling · 2012-09-20 07:00 · Score: 2

I am still trying the Steven Wright method. He managed to have his licence photo taken out of focus. That way, when the cops pull him over, they stare at the photo for a second and then say, "Here. You can go."
Despite my best effors, I have not been able to accomplish this ... yet.

--
Great civilizations have lived and died on false theories. Don't mess up mine with a few facts.
How to troll the DMV, from G4TV by Rakarra · 2012-09-20 07:02 · Score: 4, Funny

Picture link. Simple effective fun!
The result: The finished license.
Passports by dskoll · 2012-09-20 07:03 · Score: 2

Passports make sense because by the time you're done being manhandled by the TSA or CATSA, you're likely to look very grumpy anyway.
But I'm usually not in a terrible mood when I'm driving.
1. Re:Passports by oneiros27 · 2012-09-20 07:38 · Score: 2
  
  But no one's looking at your license while you're driving. It's when you're grumpy for having been pulled over that they ask to see your license.
  
  --
  Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Re:Next step by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-20 07:04 · Score: 4, Interesting

Or not smiling enough. Parkinson’s Sufferer Arrested for ‘Not Smiling’ at Olympic Men’s Cycling Race.
Re:I smiled for my NJ license by kidgenius · 2012-09-20 07:11 · Score: 3, Interesting

Just come live in AZ. We don't have to renew our licenses until we are 65. Keep your picture for 40+ years.
beard by confused+one · 2012-09-20 07:12 · Score: 2

not shaving my beard. It's only just starting to show grey...
Glasses free? by Anubis+IV · 2012-09-20 07:15 · Score: 3, Informative

Now that passports are by decree grim and glasses-free
Yeah...no. That's simply untrue. I went into the post office to get my passport photo taken last month and they didn't have me remove my glasses, nor did the Department of State seem to have any issues with my wearing them in my photo, since I just received my new passport last week.
I think I read that there are some rules against a few particular types of glasses that obscure too much of the face (e.g. chunky frames), but they had no issues with my standard looking thin frames.
Validation by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-20 07:16 · Score: 5, Interesting

This is a great story. And yes, it's on topic for the OP. Take time to watch it all the way through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao
Re:Image Hacking by omnichad · 2012-09-20 07:23 · Score: 2

Too bad they're taking a picture of your license plate and don't care what your face looks like.
Re:Smile! by DanTheStone · 2012-09-20 07:25 · Score: 4, Informative

The facial recognition software isn't really to compare with your photos in public, it's primarily so that can check within the system whether you're getting licenses issued for yourself under different names.
Evidence:
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/latestnews/ci_21247064/penndot-computer-catches-fake-id-attempt
http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/facial-recognition-software-used-by-dot/article_dd7d0f7e-dcde-11e1-a6a0-001a4bcf887a.html
Re:Smile! by DanTheStone · 2012-09-20 07:29 · Score: 4, Informative

Apparently the first link is broken now, but here's some text that was there: "A man has been charged with trying to get an identification card from the Pennsylvania DOT under a name not his own. PennDOT's facial recognition computer program discovered the discrepancy. Jose Alejandro Velazquez-Rodriguez, 29, was charged with tampering with public records or information. He attempted to get a Pennsylvania identification card with the name of Steven Huerta sometime between July 16 and 27 at the DMV office in Gettysburg."
Turn Your Head and Use Cotton Balls by Jah-Wren+Ryel · 2012-09-20 07:33 · Score: 2

NJ isn't the only DMV doing stuff like this to make facial recognition easier. If they won't let you smile, try to turn your head so you are looking at the camera at an angle - part of the algorithm uses the distance between your eyes so turning your head, even slightly, in a simple 2D photo is going to change that. Width of nose and shape of cheekbones are also part of the equation so stuff cotton balls up your nose and in your cheeks and then just pretend you have a cold. Mascara helps too because it trys to figure out the depth of your eye sockets from the 2D photo too.
Beyond all that a big question that none of these DMVs have had to answer is what the hell does the DMV need facial recognition for? It is a license to drive, if you get pulled over and you don't have a license on you (which is not illegal, you are only required to be licensed, not actually carry it with you when you drive that's just for convenience) they can just type your name in the computer in their car and bring up your DMV record and visually confirm your identity, no computerized facial recognition needed.

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When information is power, privacy is freedom.
1. Re:Turn Your Head and Use Cotton Balls by DanTheStone · 2012-09-20 07:51 · Score: 2
  
  Beyond all that a big question that none of these DMVs have had to answer is what the hell does the DMV need facial recognition for?
  As I said in a higher thread, it's primarily to make sure that you don't get cards issued in multiple names. That is apparently attempted on a fairly regular basis, to the point that essentially every state has put in these systems to stop fraud. And they do actually catch people.
Re:I smiled for my NJ license by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-20 07:44 · Score: 4, Funny

Yeah but when I tried they deported me to Mexico for not having ID... I tried to tell them I was Puerto Rican and born in the US but the Sherif was a real dick about it.
Re:Smile! by tompaulco · 2012-09-20 07:47 · Score: 3, Insightful

Well, who says they can use my driver's license photo to do facial recognition on? I didn't sign up for that.

--
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
Try adopting by Charliemopps · 2012-09-20 08:09 · Score: 4, Interesting

I adopted my son from Ethiopia a few years ago and had to go to a Homeland security office a few hours away from me for an entire day to fill out paperwork and get every single finger, and even my palms printed. Then they took pictures of me from every angle imaginable. I told the homeland security agent "Well I guess going off the grid won't be an option anymore" he laughed and said "Yea, you're definitely in the system now"

On the bright side, I went to buy a handgun recently and the store owner called in my background check to the FBI. He gave them my SS# and then said "Oh... really? Already?" and hung up. He said that what usually happens is they research it and call him back. He's never had them just approve it over the phone in a matter of seconds like that. So I guess when the government has already logged every cell in your body already there are at least some benefits.
Re:Smile! by amiga3D · 2012-09-20 10:13 · Score: 3, Insightful

When you think of it, with things like the Boston tea party and other disruption, I'm sure all the founding father's would be branded terrorists today.
Re:Smile! by Macgrrl · 2012-09-20 11:36 · Score: 2

It was explained to me that while they don't expect anyone to answer 'yes' on the form, it becomes another charge that can levy against you 'lying on your immigration paperwork'.

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Sara
Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
Re:Smile! by bill_mcgonigle · 2012-09-20 15:28 · Score: 2

Well, who says they can use my driver's license photo to do facial recognition on? I didn't sign up for that.
Since when do slaves get to say what they will or will not do?

--
My God, it's Full of Source!
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