Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

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?"

14 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 Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I cannot find it in me to care about whatever garbage you typed

    2. 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. Re:recognize this by pgmrdlm · · Score: 1

    Sorry, software is not designed to recognize anything as small as your balls.

    --
    Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
  3. 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?'
  4. 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...

    1. Re:What kind of idiot by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      puts their picture in social media?

      Hey stupid, how else would people I barely know see where I am vacationing and what the food I'm eating looks like? And yeah, I need to be in the picture to prove I was there / I ate it.

    2. Re:What kind of idiot by nukenerd · · Score: 1

      Tracks targets. Targets are not necessarily users.

      So they are tracking my cat ?

    3. Re:What kind of idiot by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

      So they are tracking my cat ?

      No, the raccoon.

      --
      -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  5. faccia brutta by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Maybe this is why I keep getting Brad Pitt's text messages by accident.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  6. Common tool in the online dating industry by GameboyRMH · · Score: 2

    Online dating sites have been using tools like this internally for years to track users' activity on competitors' sites.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:Common tool in the online dating industry by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      And what would they do with that knowledge? Seems awful hard to act upon.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    2. Re:Common tool in the online dating industry by ayesnymous · · Score: 1

      I thought match.com owned most of the sites.

  7. Contrary to WA State Constitution and Canada's by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 2

    let alone the EU GPDR.

    Stop doing this stuff.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --