Is Facial Recognition Invading Your Privacy?

Summary

The video by Above The Noise looks into the privacy concerns surrounding facial recognition technology. While facial recognition can offer convenience in various applications like unlocking phones and auto-tagging photos, its potential for mass surveillance is alarming. Governments and law enforcement agencies already use it for tracking criminals, but this could extend to everyday citizens without their consent. The potential for misuse is high, risking privacy and civil liberties as both state actors and private companies use the technology for purposes ranging from security to profit-making through advertisers.

Highlights

• You're standing in line, and the robot just knows what you want to order! 🍟
• Facial recognition: cool for Snapchat, creepy for surveillance! 📸
• The irony of governments tracking citizens in the name of safety. What's next, knowing our acupuncture schedule? 😳
• Facial recognition technology can identify criminals or, in dystopian scenarios, identify protesters! 📢
• Jaywalk in China and see your face displayed on a big screen - how's that for public shaming? 🚶
• Your cheeky Instagram post might add to the advertising data pool. Nothing's really free, is it? 📱

Key Takeaways

• Facial recognition tech is becoming a part of everyday life, from unlocking phones to ordering food 🍔.
• The tech maps faces using landmarks like eye socket depth and chin curve, creating unique faceprints 👤.
• Governments may use this technology for surveillance, raising privacy concerns 👀.
• Countries are already using facial recognition at airports and city surveillance, like Moscow and some Chinese cities 🌍.
• Facial recognition isn't just about safety; it also fuels digital advertising and retail strategies 🎯.

Overview

In a world where our faces can now be keys, tickets, and even our order confirmations at your local KFC, facial recognition technology is everywhere. On the surface, it offers fun and convenient features like Snapchat filters and iPhone's Face ID. Yet beneath the convenience lies a technology that could be turned into a tool for surveillance and control.

Facial recognition’s potential threats to privacy come to light particularly with governmental and law enforcement use. Surveillance systems are being deployed in places like U.S. airports and cities such as Moscow, tracking our every move without our knowledge. This could lead to an infringement of privacy and rights, especially for peaceful protesters who can be easily identified in crowds.

Private companies like Facebook and Google aren’t shying away either; they use facial recognition to boost advertising revenues. Jaywalking in some parts of China even gets your face publicly shamed! The concern is, should facial recognition be monitored to avoid becoming a privacy threat, or is it a necessary trade-off for progress and security?

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction In this introduction chapter, the narrative opens with a light, humorous tone, set against the backdrop of playful, upbeat music. There's an interaction illustrating the growing proliferation of automation and AI in everyday activities, represented by a robot voice that confirms a food order for a citizen. This scene humorously highlights how technology, especially facial recognition, is increasingly permeating daily life, sometimes making decisions on behalf of individuals without explicit communication—a subtle nod to potential overreach and privacy concerns.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Everyday Use of Facial Recognition The chapter explores the ubiquitous and growing use of facial recognition technology in everyday life. It begins by acknowledging how frequently people's faces are scanned, often without realizing it. The use of Snapchat filters exemplifies voluntary interaction with facial recognition, where users enjoy the tech for fun and social media enhancements. Facebook's auto-tagging feature is highlighted as a convenience for users, as it simplifies photo uploads by automatically identifying faces. The chapter also discusses the iPhone X's facial recognition system, emphasizing how the technology is integrated into security measures by acting as a passcode for unlocking phones. Moreover, the transcript mentions the innovative yet somewhat eerie application in some KFCs in China, where facial recognition is used to place food orders. This example serves as a harbinger of more widespread use cases in the future.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Dark Side of Facial Recognition The chapter explores the increasing prevalence and implications of facial recognition technology, noting that nearly half of American adults are already in facial recognition databases. This technology enables real-time surveillance, prompting discussions about privacy concerns versus the potential benefits. Facial recognition systems work by analyzing facial landmarks, raising questions about the balance between security and individual privacy.
• 01:30 - 02:00: How Facial Recognition Works This chapter explains the workings of facial recognition technology. It highlights how computers, using artificial intelligence, analyze various facial features such as the curve of the chin and the size of the nose to create unique faceprints similar to fingerprints. The chapter also discusses the concerns regarding the use of facial recognition by governments and law enforcement, acknowledging its potential benefits in identifying criminals, but also cautioning against privacy issues.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Potential Misuse by Authorities The chapter 'Potential Misuse by Authorities' discusses the prevalence of surveillance cameras in the U.S., with an estimated 60 million in operation. The text explores the idea that if agencies like the FBI, CIA, or NSA had access to the footage from these cameras, they could potentially track individuals' movements continuously. This could provide detailed insights into personal routines such as work, shopping habits, and social interactions. The narrator humorously mentions not wanting the government to know about their early morning acupuncture appointments, highlighting privacy concerns. The chapter raises hypothetical scenarios that, despite seeming futuristic or like science fiction, are currently plausible.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Facial Recognition in Airports The chapter discusses the increasing use of facial recognition technology in U.S. airports. Foreign visitors have their faces scanned by border agents, with these scans being matched to their visa applications to enhance security. The government collaborates with airlines to replace boarding passes with facial recognition for boarding. For U.S. citizens, these facial scans are cross-checked against police databases. Despite assumptions, many individuals' facial images are already stored in these databases, scanned by police and the FBI.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Police Use of Facial Recognition The chapter titled 'Police Use of Facial Recognition' discusses the widespread use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement agencies in the United States. It highlights a report from Georgetown University indicating a high probability that adult citizens have their images stored in large facial recognition databases. These databases, built using driver's licenses and passport photos, serve as digital equivalents of traditional police lineups, enabling law enforcement to compare a suspect's face against millions of others at their discretion.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Facial Recognition in Moscow The chapter discusses the installation of facial recognition technology in Moscow's extensive network of surveillance cameras. The purported aim is to enhance security by identifying criminals. However, concerns are raised about privacy and the potential misuse of the technology, particularly in identifying and punishing individuals involved in protests. The chapter also highlights research indicating that facial recognition can still identify individuals with concealed faces with significant accuracy.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Facial Recognition in China In China, facial recognition technology is extensively utilized by the government to address jaywalking issues. This involves public shaming, where jaywalkers are identified by government-owned cameras, and their images, along with ID numbers and home addresses, are displayed on large screens within 20 minutes. This system extends beyond safety and criminal tracking, serving also commercial interests, as seen with auto-tagging of photos on platforms like Google and Facebook, which becomes an additional data point for companies.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Commercial Use of Facial Recognition This chapter discusses the commercial use of facial recognition, focusing on the exchange of free technology services for personal data mining. It explains how tech companies like Facebook and Google monetize user data, making significant profits from digital advertising. The excerpt highlights privacy concerns and mentions the entry of big-box retailers into this business model.
• 06:00 - 06:30: Retail and Customer Surveillance Walmart has developed a patent for facial recognition technology aimed at improving customer service by identifying when shoppers are dissatisfied. This technology also has the potential to track customer purchases and predict future buying behaviors. The chapter ends with an open question to the audience, asking them where they would draw the line with facial recognition technology and under what circumstances they would permit its use, inviting viewers to comment below.
• 06:30 - 07:00: Conclusion The Conclusion chapter reflects on the importance of technology and privacy. It encourages readers to learn more about cybersecurity through a recommended episode that focuses on protecting digital information. The chapter closes with a casual farewell and upbeat music.

Is Facial Recognition Invading Your Privacy? Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 (delicate tone) (upbeat music) - Let me get a - [Robot Voice] Order confirmed, citizen number five, extra pickles, medium fries. Thank you for your order. - But I never told you what I wanted to order. - [Robot Voice] Order confirmed, thank you citizen. Next in line please. (upbeat music) (chuckles) - Is it just me, or does facial recognition seem to be creeping more and more into our daily lives?
• 00:30 - 01:00 I mean, my face is pretty much being scanned on the regular. Sometimes it's my choice. Like when I used a Snapchat filter, they rely on facial recognition technology. And I don't seem to mind because, well they're awesome. Facebook's auto-tagging makes uploading my photos super easy. And instead of remembering a passcode, the new iPhone X uses your face to unlock it. Oh and by the way, there actually is a KFC restaurant in China that scans your face and orders your food for you, so look out for that, I guess to become a thing. But for the most part the media focuses
• 01:00 - 01:30 on the darker aspects of the technology. - Nearly half of American adults are in facial recognition databases. - The technology can single us out in real time as we go about our daily business. - It's mass surveillance for the physical world. - So that got me thinking, should we smile and welcome facial recognition? Or should we be worried that it's gonna be a major invasion of our privacy? Here's how facial recognition works. Computers map your face by analyzing dozens of different facial landmarks, like the depth of your eye sockets,
• 01:30 - 02:00 the curve of your chin, and the size of your nose. Computers use artificial intelligence to analyze all this data. Basically, you have to train the computers on thousands of photos before they can accurately start identifying people by creating faceprints. Which are kinda like fingerprints in that they're unique to each person. Now there's a growing concern that facial recognition will be used by governments and law enforcement to monitor and track people. Now if we're talking about catching terrorists or identifying criminals, the technology might be a great tool to help keep us safe. But this same technology can also be used
• 02:00 - 02:30 on us law abiding citizens. In the U.S., there are an estimated 60 million surveillance cameras, meaning there's a pretty good chance that our faces are being recorded every day. So theoretically, if the FBI, CIA, or NSA had access to that footage, they can track the movements of any person 24/7. They'd know where you work, where you shop, who you like to hang with. Like I don't want the government to know that I like to get my acupuncture done at 7:30 in the morning on a Tuesday. Now this may sound futuristic and sci-fi,
• 02:30 - 03:00 but the governments are using facial recognition right now. In some U.S. airports, border agents are scanning the faces of foreign visitors and matching those scans to their visa applications. It could be a more secure way to track when people enter and leave the country. The government is also partnering with some airlines to use facial recognition instead of boarding passes. For U.S. citizens, the facial scans are checked against photos stored in police databases. Now you may be thinking, "I've never committed a crime, "my face isn't gonna be in a police database." Well police and the FBI have scanned millions
• 03:00 - 03:30 of faces using drivers licenses and passport photos. A recent report out of Georgetown University reveals that if you're an adult in the U.S., there's a 50-50 chance that your photo is stored in a massive facial recognition database that law enforcement can access anytime it wants for pretty much any reason. You know the classic police lineup we see in the movies? The detective invites the witness down to the station to pick out the criminal who's standing in the line with a bunch of other people? These photo databases are basically digital police lineups, allowing law enforcement to compare one face to millions of others.
• 03:30 - 04:00 Check out what's happening in Moscow, Russia's capital. The government is adding facial recognition technology to its network of 170,000 surveillance cameras located throughout the city. It's supposed to be used to identify criminals and boost security, but what if you're at a rally protesting the government? The police could use facial recognition to pick you out of a crowd, and maybe even punish you for your actions. And covering your face might not protect you. A new research paper demonstrated that facial recognition could correctly identify a concealed face 67% of the time. Yikes.
• 04:00 - 04:30 In China, the government takes facial recognition to the next level. To curb jaywalking, which apparently is a big problem in the country, the Chinese government has resorted to public shaming. Jaywalkers get their photo snapped by government-owned cameras, and then 20 minutes later, their picture is up on a giant screen with their ID number and home address. Again, yikes. Now facial recognition is not just about safety or tracking down criminals, it's also about making money. When you and your friends are auto-tagged when you upload a photo to Google or Facebook, that's one more data point that companies can use
• 04:30 - 05:00 to track what you do online, what you like, and what you buy. But that's the cost of free technology. It's right there in the terms of service that none of us ever read. We use a super useful tool at no cost, the tech companies mine every photo, status update, and tweet for info that online advertisers are willing to pay big money for. Facebook and Google alone are predicted to make $106 billion from advertising this year. That's nearly half of all the money made from digital advertising in the world. Big box retailers are getting into the game too.
• 05:00 - 05:30 Walmart has filed a patent for facial recognition technology that can identify when shoppers are unhappy or frustrated. Which the company says will allow it to provide better customer service. But that same data can also be used to track purchases and predict what items you might buy in the future. So now we'd like to hear from you. Where would you draw the line? In what situation would you be comfortable allowing facial recognition? Whenever? Law enforcement only? Just private companies? Or pretty much never? Let us know in the comments below. And do not forget to subscribe.
• 05:30 - 06:00 And if you wanna learn more about technology and privacy, check out this episode we did on cyber security to learn how to keep all your digital info safe. Till next time guys. (upbeat music)