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Taylor Swift Used Facial Recognition Tech At Concerts To Spy On Stalkers (boingboing.net)
AmiMoJo shares a report: Taylor Swift used facial recognition technology at her live performances so that technicians running the system could then check those face scans against a private database of her stalkers. There is now big demand for serious security at live events the size of a Taylor Swift concert. There have been so many bombings and mass shootings at music concerts over the past year to even remember without Googling. Fear of being killed at a music concert is something people factor in to the decision to buy tickets and go to live events. The demand for security is real.
This is an outrage!
Taylor Swift used facial recognition technology at her live performances so that technicians running the system could then check those face scans against a private database of her stalkers.
Umm, pretty much anyone who is a Taylor Swift fan willing to actually pay to see her concert would qualify as a stalker - including teenage girls. They bulk of her fan base has an unhealthy obsession with her and her rather uninteresting music. They don't need facial recognition, just a camera or ask for ID at the door. The only question is how creepy are they.
Seriously, if true this is either a star taking herself WAY too seriously or some security asshat who got a new shiny toy to pay with and convinced an overpayed prima-donna to pay for it.
To get into a concert you have to agree to their ToS, which explicitly allows them to record/capture images and likenesses.
It's not spying if you consent.
To be fair to Swift, she really does have some crazy stalkers, including people who break into her home and take naps in her living room, harass her family, and legal restraining order type of crazy. Concerts are one of the few openings they have where they can try to get close, so these systems are probably being used for that specific slice of risk. Yes, they can check at the door, but given that many have resorted to criminal actions to try and get close, it wouldn't be surprising if some tried to sneak in through other means. It is after all a private event, private venue, with video consent already given.
That said, it's still creepy, and given how the Chinese have used the system to sweep up enemies of the state, I'm not sure I feel comfortable with this.
There have been so many bombings and mass shootings at music concerts over the past year to even remember without Googling. Fear of being killed at a music concert is something people factor in to the decision to buy tickets and go to live events. The demand for security is real.
While I agree that even one shooting is too many... I look at this and feel like the wording makes it sound like a bombing or shooting at a concert takes place very 2-3 days. I doubt very many people think that if they go to a concert that they are likely be part of a mass murder.
A young attractive woman, who is popular, rich... Who also will play at concerts that is a short drive from where you live, where you can meet in person...
While not my type of music, she is a talented singer, and performer. I can see a lot of people who are stupid enough to think a friendly smile or point at in a concert actually meant something, vs just playing to the audience and being friendly to her fan/revenue base.
There are a lot of stupid guys who misinterpret flirting or just friendliness as opening the door for further relations.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
We're talking men here, not bitches.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.