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Taylor Swift Used Facial Recognition Tech At Concerts To Spy On Stalkers (boingboing.net)

Posted by BeauHD on from the extra-set-of-eyes dept.

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.

6 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. I woudn't want anyone to know I attended either by OffTheLip · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is an outrage!

  2. Not spying if there's consent by mveloso · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

    1. Re:Not spying if there's consent by Can'tNot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's not consent if it's buried in some ToS.

      I did find the wording here interesting though, I read another headline: "Swift uses facial recognition to track her stalkers at concerts." ... That's a telling change, but neither one of these headlines is really capturing the problem here. Maybe another headline would be a little more accurate: "Swift uses facial recognition to track tens of thousands of people, a few of which are stalkers."

  3. She really does have criminal level stalkers by Koreantoast · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

  4. Re: I woudn't want anyone to know I attended eithe by jellomizer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.
  5. Re:Ima let you finish, but... by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.