5 ms·

> According to the police, these trials ... "will be used overtly with a clear uniformed presence and information leaflets will be disseminated to the public,"

> According to the police, these trials ... "will be used overtly with a clear uniformed presence and information leaflets will be disseminated to the public," This line really creeps me out. Essentially: "But it's OK, because we're being very clear about what we are doing, handing out leaflets and wearing our uniforms so you can trust us." If these trials are successful - or, for that matter, if they are not - can we assume that they will drop all of that facade at the earliest opportunity in favour of silent and ubiquitous rollout? Who will be wearing uniforms and handing out fliers in 1, 2 or 5 years, when facial recognition surveillance technology operates behind every one of the thousands of surveillance cameras that capture our faces and movements every single day?

smilespray 8y ago
This not a trial, in terms of what a real trial should be. It is a deliberate wedge strategy that has been employed at least once in the UK before. (I couldn’t find a source right now, will report back when I can.) The goal is to be able to say to higher powers that «we reached out to the public and they didn’t mind.» And then it’s made permanent.
- all2 8y ago
  I smell a market for facial prosthetics (good ones) and sunglasses. Maybe large hats.
  - philpem 8y ago
    How about the old classic -- a Groucho Marx moustache and a pair of glasses? ;) Or maybe a Theresa May paper mask...
  - 076ae80a-3c97-4 8y ago
    Or paper bags.
  - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
    This might do: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/V_for_vendettax.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/V_for_vendett...
  - beginningguava 8y ago
    They'll simply pass a law making disguises/obfuscation illegal in public. Because why would anybody who's not a criminal or up to no good have any issue with the tracking, right?
    - daneyh 8y ago
      I'm sure that will sit well with Londons large orthodox muslim community.
    - MiddleEndian 8y ago
      Plastic surgery will likely remain legal. I could see a future where people avoid recognition by simply changing their features like a custom video game character.
      - bhhaskin 8y ago
        Plastic surgery might remain legal, but you would likely be required to submit before and after photos. Making it pointless.
        MiddleEndian 8y ago
        If the tech reaches the point where you can do it at home, that won't matter.
        jakeogh 8y ago
        You can trivially build banned (some places;) inanimate objects at home, but that does not stop legislators from making those that do criminals. You didnt update FaceRegistry? That's a felony, and another felony for modding your 3d faceprinter to break the FR DRM.
    - elif 8y ago
      already a law where i live https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-11/article-2/16-11-38/ https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-1... for historical context, this was not passed historically to combat the KKK, who have a storied history in this state. Nor was it passed under national security hysteria. It was passed very recently, to arrest guy fawke's mask wearers at the Anonymous Million Mask March.
  - drpgq 8y ago
    As someone in the field, I recommend sunglasses and those filter masks common in Asia.
beginningguava 8y ago
make no mistake, the rest of the world's leaders don't see China as a dystopian hellhole, they see it as a proof of concept. The only way to stop this is now, to strike hard and reject it entirely. Because once it's fully implemented any future rebellions will be able to be snuffed out in their infancy. IE: Government sees a group of people visiting suspicious websites, they use phone location tracking to see that a small group is meeting up in person, government then uses facial recognition to track them 24/7 and eventually finds an excuse to arrest them before the movement can grow Although I doubt people will do anything, we're too comfortable and they'll simply boil us like frogs, pushing privacy rights back inch by inch until people finally realize they are against the edge of a cliff

smilespray 8y ago

This not a trial, in terms of what a real trial should be. It is a deliberate wedge strategy that has been employed at least once in the UK before. (I couldn’t find a source right now, will report back when I can.) The goal is to be able to say to higher powers that «we reached out to the public and they didn’t mind.» And then it’s made permanent.

all2 8y ago
I smell a market for facial prosthetics (good ones) and sunglasses. Maybe large hats.
- philpem 8y ago
  How about the old classic -- a Groucho Marx moustache and a pair of glasses? ;) Or maybe a Theresa May paper mask...
- 076ae80a-3c97-4 8y ago
  Or paper bags.
- NeedMoreTea 8y ago
  This might do: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/V_for_vendettax.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/V_for_vendett...
- beginningguava 8y ago
  They'll simply pass a law making disguises/obfuscation illegal in public. Because why would anybody who's not a criminal or up to no good have any issue with the tracking, right?
  - daneyh 8y ago
    I'm sure that will sit well with Londons large orthodox muslim community.
  - MiddleEndian 8y ago
    Plastic surgery will likely remain legal. I could see a future where people avoid recognition by simply changing their features like a custom video game character.
    - bhhaskin 8y ago
      Plastic surgery might remain legal, but you would likely be required to submit before and after photos. Making it pointless.
      - MiddleEndian 8y ago
        If the tech reaches the point where you can do it at home, that won't matter.
        jakeogh 8y ago
        You can trivially build banned (some places;) inanimate objects at home, but that does not stop legislators from making those that do criminals. You didnt update FaceRegistry? That's a felony, and another felony for modding your 3d faceprinter to break the FR DRM.
  - elif 8y ago
    already a law where i live https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-11/article-2/16-11-38/ https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-1... for historical context, this was not passed historically to combat the KKK, who have a storied history in this state. Nor was it passed under national security hysteria. It was passed very recently, to arrest guy fawke's mask wearers at the Anonymous Million Mask March.
- drpgq 8y ago
  As someone in the field, I recommend sunglasses and those filter masks common in Asia.

beginningguava 8y ago

make no mistake, the rest of the world's leaders don't see China as a dystopian hellhole, they see it as a proof of concept. The only way to stop this is now, to strike hard and reject it entirely. Because once it's fully implemented any future rebellions will be able to be snuffed out in their infancy. IE: Government sees a group of people visiting suspicious websites, they use phone location tracking to see that a small group is meeting up in person, government then uses facial recognition to track them 24/7 and eventually finds an excuse to arrest them before the movement can grow Although I doubt people will do anything, we're too comfortable and they'll simply boil us like frogs, pushing privacy rights back inch by inch until people finally realize they are against the edge of a cliff