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New Facial Recognition Tool, Designed For Research Purposes, Tracks Targets Across Different Social Networks (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the on-face-value dept.

Researchers at Trustwave on Wednesday released a new open-source tool called Social Mapper, which uses facial recognition to track subjects across social media networks. Designed for security researchers performing social engineering attacks, the system automatically locates profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other networks based on a name and picture. Unlike tools such as Geofeedia that require access to certain APIs, Social Mapper performs automated manual searches in an instrumented browser window. The Verge: Those searches can already be performed manually, but the automated process means it can be performed far faster and for many people at once. "Performing intelligence gathering online is a time-consuming process," Trustwave explained in a post this morning. "What if it could be automated and done on a mass scale with hundreds or thousands of individuals?"

4 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. Excellent by bmimatt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Another reason to nuke social media profiles, if you have them.
    This is only going to snowball and eventually become very difficult to opt out of, if there's no meaningful legislation.
    I am not holding my breath for that though.

    1. Re:Excellent by cayenne8 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Go ahead and vote. You have no power and you never will. And your vote will make NO difference.

      If that were the case, wouldn't Hillary have won.....?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  2. Just once... by x0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...I'd like to read a story where social networks gets less creepy.

    m

    --
    In the immortal words of Socrates, who said; 'I drank what?'
  3. What kind of idiot by bobstreo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    puts their picture in social media? I mean, if you're a sports star or actor, sure, but for everyone else, just stick to pictures of cats and your latest meal.

    And if you use the same name in different social media, well derp...