Sunday, December 15, 2013

The NY Times tells you how to defeat face recognition software

Forget William Gibson's ugly t-shirt, The NY Times encourages you to have an ugly face:
My project, CV Dazzle, explores how fashion can be used as camouflage from face-detection technology, the first step in automated face recognition. The name is derived from a type of World War I naval camouflage called Dazzle, which used cubist-inspired designs to break apart the visual continuity of a battleship and conceal its orientation and size. Likewise, CV Dazzle uses avant-garde hairstyling and makeup designs to break apart the continuity of a face. 
... 
Using the tips above, create your own camouflaged look. 
Once you have created your own look, submit a photo of yourself. 
The looks will be tested using facial detection software and may be posted to nytimes.com/anti-face.
Of course, speaking of the NY Times and government spies:
ABC News and The New York Times have known since 2007 that Robert Levinson, the ex-FBI agent who was kidnapped in Iran, was not, as the U.S. government and his family claimed, an independent businessman: He was working for the CIA. The Times’ report today discloses this timeline; ABC News’ report does not—but a source at the network confirmed to Gawker that ABC reporters discovered the CIA connection in 2007 as well. At the request of the government and Levinson’s family, however, both outlets repeatedly stated, without any caveats, that Levinson was on a “business trip” when he was captured. A review of their coverage indicates that ABC News did so at least 7 times, and the Times at least 3 times.