Face recognition: a dangerous, unregulated, multibillion-dollar industry

Taylor Swift showed the world an aspect of future of face recognition when used as a security in his concerts. Last year the magazine Rolling stone revealed that the singer's security team had been deploying this kind of technology for detect bullies. However, this resource uses data that works for a lot of other things, like marketing.

If, for years, facial recognition has been a resource for the authorities and the military, it is now becoming a commercial instrument allowing brands to obtain consumers. It is expected that, in the next two years, this technology, which gather data in the crowd, build a market of 9.6 billion USD. And almost without regulation.

Businesses, like ISM Connect, which Swift used and which was also used in the footsteps of Nascar, in the luxury shopping center of Daytona Beach and on the FedEx playground of the Redskinsthey self-regulate. No rule holds them responsible for how they collect, use or store people's information.

"Soon, the ISM screens will be in the minor league baseball stadiums, and the firm is waiting to integrate them into "smart cities"& # 39; The screens of society have already captured the interaction and demographics of More than 110 million people attended events in more than 100 locations"reported The Guardian.

These screens improve security and advertising while collecting brand demographics, according to the ISM website. "When fans attend events, they are at the most exciting time of their being and it's as if, at these strong and personal moments, they were more open to new ideas," summarizes the site.

In the Swift shows, the ISM cameras were located at the back of the "stations for selfies", where the spectators were attracted by documents about the artist. Those Hidden cameras badyzed facial features of fans while interacting with screens. "What happened to the data below is not very clear," noted the British newspaper.

According to the article of Rolling stone, the information was sent to a central team in Nashville, Tennessee, where has been compared to a database of known Swift stalkers. Hence the name of the technology, FanGuard, which according to ISM "uses facial recognition to identify potential suspects". But the same site of the company says that those The badyzes create demographic information and measures to help promoters better direct their marketing efforts..

In the absence of legislation, persons attending events where facial recognition is recognized should be satisfied with statement that ISM does not keep the information collected and Biometric cameras do not produce an "identifiable real image"from someone, according to the company's website. There are also posters that they indicate that they "could be filmed"but they can not do anything if they do not want it.

"More than half of US adults have seen their image cataloged in databases that are used for facial recognition, "he quoted The Guardian a study from Georgetown University in 2016. "And a quarter of law enforcement agencies had access to them."

According to one of the authors of the study, Clare Garvie, an expert in privacy and technology, both "mbad surveillance" has increased. Police and businesses already have the ability to do face recognition in real time without people knowing. In the USA, only the state of Illinois requires companies to seek their consent people before entering their biometric data.

"This will become more common and more advanced, especially in the absence of sensible legislation that determines how to use it and – most importantly – how not to use it," Garvie said. "A company like Walmart, or Saks Fifth Avenue, or a stadium or security agency, can adopt this technology without informing the public."

Most Americans do not care. Only a quarter According to the Center for Innovation in Data (CDI), facial recognition should be regulated. For them it's a tool that allows them to tag their friends on Facebook or pbad the airport security check more quickly.

However, the rFacial awareness can go much further. Already in other parts of the world, this technology is much more invasive and personal what you think. In China, for example, police use it to monitor the population on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai..