AI-enhanced surveillance technology is now a threat to personal liberty in many places, but there are some creative ways you can throw the surveillance robots off your scent
State-run facial recognition programmes are no longer the stuff of dystopian fiction. Artificial intelligence-enhanced surveillance technology has become a real threat to personal liberty in Hong Kong and around the world today.
While face masks and sunglasses are obvious solutions to avoid being recognised on camera, we look at a few other creative ways to throw Big Brother off the scent.
Is Hong Kong now in a prophetic dystopian era?
Futuristic frames for protection
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INCOGNITO . Projekt poruszający tematykę inwigilacji społeczeństwa i ochrony własnego wizerunku w miejscach publicznych. Obiekt ma za zadanie chronić wizerunek przed algorytmami rozpoznawania twarzy stosowanymi w nowoczesnych kamerach instalowanych w przestrzeni publicznej. Jest to rodzaj maski wykonanej z mosiądzu, wyprofilowanej do kształtu twarzy. Znajdujące się na niej trzy elementy sprawiają, że ludzka twarz pozostaje nierozpoznana przez kamerę. Projekt zajął pierwsze miejsce w kategorii Człowiek w konkursie Mazda Design 2019 Projekt: Ewa Nowak . . . . . #future #speculativedesign #facerecognition #brass #facejewellery #mazdadesign
A post shared by NOMA (@noma_design_studio) on Jun 5, 2019 at 4:16am PDT
Polish designer Ewa Nowak of Noma Design Studio created the Incognito mask-slash-frame to trick facial recognition algorithms. The two brass circles under the eye and rectangle between the eyes make it impossible for facial recognition to take measurements of the distance between and height of features, effectively ensuring the wearer's face is unreadable for cameras.
What do celebrities say about Hong Kong's protests?
Pretend to be a car
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#Surveillance tech is getting smarter, so we're working to stay one step ahead with a line of items that fool plate readers. Link in bio. #privacy #civilrights #techwear
A post shared by @ adversarialfashion on Aug 14, 2019 at 4:54pm PDT
Designed by Adversarial Fashion, their licence plate printed clothing is meant to feed junk information to automatic licence plate readers. If worn with other face-masking protection, it has been suggested that these pieces could fool surveillance robots into thinking you are a car.
Everyone can be John Doe
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URME Surveillance now on Instagram. Urme surveillance.com #urmemask #urmesurveillance #surveillanceart #surveillance #publicart
A post shared by Leo Selvaggio (@leoselva) on Oct 2, 2014 at 10:35pm PDT
For US$200, you can wear the face of URME mask creator Leo Selvaggio. Selvaggio calls the 3D-printed URME mask a personal surveillance identity prosthetic. Made from pigmented hard resin, the mask is a realistic rendering of Selvaggio.
What about those who don't have US$200 to shell out? Its creator offers a free printable version online.
We love these 7 beauty Instagramers' honest face mask reviews
Shine on
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Jing-Cai Liu is a designer who is trying to keep her identity safe from the bad influences of the outside world. She made a wearable face projector. Check it out on www.jingcailiu.com #ANONYMOUS
A post shared by QUINTESSENTIALISM | ANONYMOUS (@to_own) on Apr 7, 2017 at 4:57am PDT
An art project has real potential to change the face of surveillance as we know it. The Anonymous device projects faces and images onto the wearer's own face, which can confuse video surveillance cameras.
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