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NEC Unveils Facial Recognition System For 2020 Tokyo Olympics (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the first-of-its-kind dept.

NEC, a Japanese IT and networking company, announced plans to provide a large-scale facial recognition system for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "The system will be used to identify over 300,000 people at the games, including athletes, volunteers, media, and other staff," reports The Verge. From the report: NEC's system is built around an AI engine called NeoFace, which is part of the company's overarching Bio-IDiom line of biometric authentication technology. The Tokyo 2020 implementation will involve linking photo data with an IC card to be carried by accredited people. NEC says that it has the world's leading face recognition tech based on benchmark tests from the US's National Institute of Standards and Technology. NEC demonstrated the technology in Tokyo today, showing how athletes and other staff wouldn't be able to enter venues if they were holding someone else's IC card. The company even brought out a six-foot-eight former Olympic volleyball player to demonstrate that the system would work with people of all heights, though he certainly had to stoop a bit. It worked smoothly with multiple people moving through it quickly; the screen displayed the IC card holder's photo almost immediately after.

25 comments

  1. I didn't think it would be possible by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    I am really surprised that you can identify faces using a computer system. We are truly living in the future.

    1. Re:I didn't think it would be possible by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      If it works in Tokyo it'll work anywhere!

      (Somebody had to)

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  2. godzirra! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Obligatory.

    1. Re:godzirra! by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Obrigatoly.

      -- FTFY

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  3. new slogan 2018 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We still exist, we're still relevant, pay money to us to watch like you care!

  4. obligatory Demolition Man Simon Phoenix question by iggymanz · · Score: 2

    So, if someone's head is cut off, can it be used to get in?

  5. NeoFace by SeaFox · · Score: 1

    NEC's system is built around an AI engine called NeoFace, which is part of the company's overarching Bio-IDiom line of biometric authentication technology.

    Will this system help them verify they have found the One?

    1. Re:NeoFace by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well it will be taking place in Japan. Singapore is about a 7 hour flight away so you never know, maybe Jet Li will show up.

  6. More relevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There was a guy over at reddit who was working with tensorflow.js getting up some examples and starting to get it working with nodejs. I think he got it doing some image recognition etc.

    At any rate, that is more interesting, and it deals with image recognition....this shit? Who cares.

    They didn't program anything, bought it from company unknown, system accuracy unknown, utilization points of system unknown, system function and capture of ANYONE unknown.

    When I say who cares it is not pure sarcasm there is very little to no actual information here. This has little to do with the technology and much to do with attempting to press our emotional buttons for click bait.

    1. Re:More relevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      image recognition? who cares.

    2. Re:More relevant by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      AC the math of the speed per face detection is well understood.
      The international and national database work needed to match a face with is not new.
      Who is allowed into Japan for the sport event is understood.
      Japan can count and do math on every face entering japan. Every face that then returned to their own nations after the sports.
      How long they are allowed to stay in Japan is set.
      Show up on camera a set time after the sporting events are over and get detected.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    3. Re:More relevant by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      AC the math of the speed per face detection is well understood.
      The international and national database work needed to match a face with is not new.
      Who is allowed into Japan for the sport event is understood.
      Japan can count and do math on every face entering japan. Every face that then returned to their own nations after the sports.
      How long they are allowed to stay in Japan is set.
      Show up on camera a set time after the sporting events are over and get detected.

      They actually have deployed the technology now - several event halls and such use it in place of the ticket. The face is scanned when the ticket is purchased and is now linked to the ticket for entry purposes. When you sign in, your face is scanned, and if it matches, you're through. If it fails (either someone with a similar face is matched, etc), you show your ticket to get in.

      It is surprisingly quick - roughly under a couple of seconds, and naturally the efficient Japanese like it since they can get through the gates much faster than if they showed their tickets and have those scanned through (which takes a few seconds more.

      It's especially handy for limited events - fan clubs and such getting exclusive access means the fan club itself simply provided the photos so only members can enter

  7. Quality of detection. by kqc7011 · · Score: 2

    Most false positives can be rectified with proper identification a minimal amount of time. It is the false negatives that cause the real problems.

    --
    Passionately Indifferent
    1. Re: Quality of detection. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that the GoJ has never been good about false positives. See the rollout of fingerprint ID here for entry, and the statistics of deportations vs the disclosed false positive rate (identical within the margin of error). At the same time, there is no presumption of innocence in Japan (not British Common Law) and these two things make for a real fâ(TM)ing scary situation should you get caught up in this. They will -not- follow up properly, incentives are completely wrong.

    2. Re:Quality of detection. by mlyle · · Score: 1

      You've got it backwards. This isn't to detect criminals, but rather to determine whether specific people are accredited personnel entitled to special access. False negatives are OK (you can figure out if it's really them / why it's not working), but false positives are bad.

  8. Re:olympics by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    That's the only way anyone can afford it now.

  9. Unveils facial recognition software, huh? by mark-t · · Score: 2

    I see what they did there...

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  10. Quality of pretense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You'll note the excuse they're deploying this crap in the first place is because they "don't have the room" to deploy people to do the checking. So, they'll minimise false positives for "ease of use", which pushes up the false negatives.

  11. Facial recognition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I would expect Japan to deploy a facial ejaculation system next.

  12. So they're not including spectators? by ayesnymous · · Score: 1

    Or are they?

    1. Re:So they're not including spectators? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It depends on whether facial recognition is being used for surveillance or identification.

  13. F-ing evil plain and simple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It would be nice if humans would stop using tech for evil

    1. Re:F-ing evil plain and simple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is how you indoctrinate the masses. First, you use facial recognition for identification. Seems pretty harmless right? Then, you use that same data for surveillance, tracking, and continuous monitoring, without their knowledge or consent.

    2. Re:F-ing evil plain and simple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A couple decades ago they told us (in my country) they were having DNA files for rapists and pedophiles.
      Today I read the police got a guy who was involved in a brawl (with knife), and found his DNA was the same as found in a burglarizing a month and a half ago.

      No rape, no murder, DNA done in a few days.