Why the FBI facial recognition plan should terrify us all

via techi.com

Next Generation Identification. NGI. These three words and three letters are the most dangerous move the US Government has ever planned since Prohibition. It’s bigger than SOPA. It’s bigger than any privacy, detention, or body scanning debacle that the government has rolled out, and there have been plenty of them the last few years.

The $1 billion project isn’t just about facial recognition according to NewScientist. It “will also add biometrics such as iris scans, DNA analysis and voice identification to the toolkit.”

All of this should terrify us. The motives are (publicly) good – create a database of known and suspected criminals, grab shots from cameras placed around the country, and tie it all together with a complex algorithm to make finding criminals and suspects easier. Then again, nuclear science was initially started to create the ultimate power source to make the world better. The end result was bombs that can kill millions at a time.

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FBI launches $1 billion nationwide facial recognition system

via extremetech.com

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has begun rolling out its new $1 billion biometric Next Generation Identification (NGI) system. In essence, NGI is a nationwide database of mugshots, iris scans, DNA records, voice samples, and other biometrics, that will help the FBI identify and catch criminals — but it is how this biometric data is captured, through a nationwide network of cameras and photo databases, that is raising the eyebrows of privacy advocates.

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How to Keep Facebook from Recognizing Your Face

via readwriteweb.com

Now that Facebook has bought facial recognition vendor Face.com, many users are worried that the giant social network will use the technology to infringe on their privacy. While you can’t stop Facebook from grabbing the facial-recognition data, there are ways to limit the service’s use of that information.

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Report: Intel Is Planning Targeted TV Advertising With Facial Recognition

via gizmodo.com

Reuters is reporting that Intel is pursuing a creepy little venture, in conjunction with cable providers, which involves a set-top box, recognizing your face and then targeting ads.

The report suggests that, while the technology wouldn't go as far as identifying individuals, it could provide data such as age and gender. From there, it would be easy to target ads, depending on the demographic sat in front of the TV.

Apparently Intel is already in talks with content providers to negotiate how it could be rolled out, and how specific channels could be targeted in the first instance. It's easy to see the attraction for the companies involved: in theory, such a system should significantly improve the ability to generate ad revenue. The report also suggests that Intel is hopeful that it could roll a system out by the end of the year.

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What Does Siri's Future Look Like?

via readwriteweb.com

It's only been three months since Apple unveiled Siri, the voice-controlled personal assistant built into the iPhone 4S. Although the product is technically in beta, it has already spawned imitations and Web video parodies. What is perhaps most exciting about Siri is not what it does now, but in its potential future uses.

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What Does Siri's Future Look Like?

via readwriteweb.com

It's only been three months since Apple unveiled Siri, the voice-controlled personal assistant built into the iPhone 4S. Although the product is technically in beta, it has already spawned imitations and Web video parodies. What is perhaps most exciting about Siri is not what it does now, but in its potential future uses.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Face Recognition Technology Comes to Malls and Nightclubs

via techland.time.com

The privacy concerns around the tracking of consumers and targeted advertising online may be coming to the physical world.

At a Federal Trade Commission workshop about the privacy implications of face recognition on Thursday, all eyes were on the new “Find My Face” feature in Google+, announced at the conference. The event, however, also focused on how face detection is being used offline in “smart sign” technology and other applications.

Posted via email from Inspiration