VidNet: Cams + AI = Privacy Apocalypse

[rcjordan]

old thread title: China's VidNet locates a reporter in 7 minutes

Watch the vid:

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-china-42248056/in-your-face-china-s-all-seeing-state

[ergophobe]

That is horrifying.

[rcjordan]

Yeah.  Now think of all the cams in, say, London and apply the same tech.

[Rooftop]

I think that this gets a lot more scary when you move away from the idea that it needs special cameras (everyone here.. and in fact anyone who's used face search in google or facebook photos  knows that isn't the case). You just need to be ale to collect the images.

Maybe countries like China inevitably abusing this technology will make the general population in places like the UK less accepting of how far we've gone down the same route.

[rcjordan]

>will make the general population in places like the UK less accepting of how far we've gone down the same route.

I suspect we're (US & UK) are already there --at least in some jurisdictions.

[rcjordan]

^{You, too, can have your own VidNet.}

Ella brings smart searching to home security cameras

https://www.techhive.com/article/3242989/security-cameras/ella-brings-smarter-searching-to-home-security-cameras.html

[Rumbas]

>Now think of all the cams in, say, London and apply the same tech.

Worked with a client some years ago. They are one of the primary suppliers of CCTV to the buslanes in London. When the talk got to software and what they 'could' do, they went silent and not something they wanted to discuss at all.

[rcjordan]

> this gets a lot more scary when you move away from the idea that it needs special cameras (everyone here.. and in fact anyone who's used face search in google or facebook photos  knows that isn't the case)


Good point. From the Ella post above:

Ella looks pretty compelling, especially as Sailor says it is hardware agnostic and works with the majority of available security cameras. IRC Realtime will announce pricing and availability, along with the Ella website, on Jan. 8, 2018.

[rcjordan]

Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it would begin using facial recognition technology to tell people on the social network when others upload photos of them, if they agree to let the company keep a facial template on file.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-privacy/facebook-to-notify-users-when-photos-of-them-are-uploaded-idUSKBN1ED25Z

[rcjordan]

burger chain recognizes your face to place an order

https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/21/16805000/caliburger-nec-face-recognition-order-food

_{"You pay for every convenience." -RC's mom}

[rcjordan]

Detroit heads towards a mandatory surveillance state

Install surveillance cameras for the cops or maybe they won't show up.

https://boingboing.net/2018/01/04/detroit-heads-towards-a-mandat.html

[rcjordan]

Jaywalkers under surveillance in Shenzhen soon to be punished via text messages

http://www.scmp.com/tech/china-tech/article/2138960/jaywalkers-under-surveillance-shenzhen-soon-be-punished-text

[ergophobe]

I always thought we would be choosing between 1984 and Brave New World, and I was betting on Brave New World.

Now it appears we're getting both.

[rcjordan]

It gets worse. I just found this.

After faces, China is moving quickly to identify people by their voices

https://qz.com/1232988/after-faces-china-is-moving-quickly-to-identify-people-by-their-voices/

[ergophobe]

Now you're depressing me.

The tools of oppression are progressing at an alarming rate. China, of course, will roll them out to 1/3 of the planet, and then make them cheap to cover the rest of the planet.

I prefer to depend on the incompetence of governments to enact dictatorial processes, rather than the responsibility of governments (or companies) not to.