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We were running a privacy focussed Chat-App-Network dating platform in 2017 which was accelerated by Facebook[1]. i.e. A network between, Messenger<->Viber<->T

We were running a privacy focussed Chat-App-Network dating platform in 2017 which was accelerated by Facebook[1]. i.e. A network between, Messenger<->Viber<->Telegram<->Line App. By design no media sharing was allowed(to prevent pornography) and the user profile images were received from the platform itself. But we soon faced unique challenge of people from certain countries using their children picture as profile picture(often just the children), there were people with group photo as profile image and then there were people who using explicit images as profile pictures. So we integrated Amazon Rekognition to identify children, group and explicit images. Those using explicit images were banned immediately and those with children/group photo image(Face detection not Facial recognition) were asked to change their profile image(Their profile was not shown to anyone until they changed their profile picture with just them). We were processing >200,000 profile images per month as people change their profile images often. But, as we very well know Amazon Rekognition or for the fact any such ML solution is not 100% accurate, we faced issues with people with darker skin color(Amazon told me that they were working to fix the issue; exactly why this type of half baked tech shouldn't be used for things which can cause harm) and so we had to reduce the confidence levels to such an extent that anything resembling a child would be flagged by the system(False positives are better in this case than false negatives). [1]https://hitstartup.com/about/#FindDate https://hitstartup.com/about/#FindDate

2sk21 6y ago
Fascinating! How expensive was it to use Rekognition in your application? Was it a significant expense?
- Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
  Thank you, I think we incurred ~ $200 for ~200,000 images for Rekognition API and I also think Amazon had fairly large free-tier limit for Rekognition at that time, since the service was relatively new.
nerdkid93 6y ago
> privacy focused Chat-App-Network... accelerated by Facebook Why would any company focusing on privacy partner with Facebook or Google? I would guess that some ardent supporters of such a product/company would be put off by such a partnership, no?
- Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
  Good question. > Chat-App-Network Messenger had >1Billion users and so its users were 98% of our user base. We enabled them to communicate with users of other chat apps and vice versa. We didn't even use the 'Name' of the users. I applied for their bootstrap phase under their FbStart program but they directly selected it for the Acceleration phase. As for why I applied for Facebook if I care about Privacy? I was a disabled, solopreneur from a village in India, without any kind of network strength competing with Valley behemoths and any kind of help is not just a force multiplier but life or death(But my product was selected meritoriously by FB). Facebook privacy issues(Cambridge Analytica) started only several months after I launched the product, so the image of Facebook was not like what's today. But it did bother me and just after a year of running the platform successfully, I had to close my startup due to my health issues[1]. I did not sell my platform to safe guard the privacy of the users. [1]https://abishekmuthian.com/i-was-told-i-would-become-quadriplegic-68c0371e6f05/ https://abishekmuthian.com/i-was-told-i-would-become-quadrip...
y-c-o-m-b 6y ago
Wow this is incredible for multiple reasons. I'm also working on a dating app and pondered this "security/content" issue, and I am also a victim of spinal damage. I had cervical myelopathy in 2018 and had to have an emergency fusion on C5-C7. I still experience various neurological issues for which they can't trace (they claim it's not related to the spine issues), but causes symptoms very similar to multiple sclerosis (although that's been ruled out). Your condition looks and sounds even more serious than that. I'm sorry you've gone through so much. I hope your health improves and I wish you success!
- Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
  Is that you Abishek, from the future? :) Thank you for your kind words. I can visualise what you had to go through. I share mutual respect and wishes for your recovery or should I say 'Management of our conditions'. >I still experience various neurological issues for which they can't trace The main issue I had (Tingling on the Face) has been successfully resolved after the surgery. Any other discomfort I had has been largely due to anxiety and post-traumatic stress from surgery, loosing my hard earned startup etc. So targeted efforts in bringing down the anxiety helps me a lot[Staying in present, taking lesser sensory inputs(had dozens of phone calls earlier, now its zero phone calls, only email]. Side note: Does wearing hear rate monitor on the wrist, like Fitbit/Apple watch hurt you after 15-30 mins?[1]. [1]https://abishekmuthian.com/my-experience-with-fitbit-charge-hr-numbness-tingling-and-pain-fec85d41d165/ https://abishekmuthian.com/my-experience-with-fitbit-charge-...
  - y-c-o-m-b 6y ago
    Thanks for your kind words. I do not wear fitness trackers. That's a very strange issue. I see you outlined wearing it too tight or EM sensitivity, but there's a couple of other things: heat and sweat. Both of these things are known to play unkindly with nerve damage. For example, I get pins and needles when I sit in the sun. I get a burning nerve pain when I sweat from exercise.
    - Abishek_Muthian 6y ago

2sk21 6y ago

Fascinating! How expensive was it to use Rekognition in your application? Was it a significant expense?

Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
Thank you, I think we incurred ~ $200 for ~200,000 images for Rekognition API and I also think Amazon had fairly large free-tier limit for Rekognition at that time, since the service was relatively new.

nerdkid93 6y ago

> privacy focused Chat-App-Network... accelerated by Facebook Why would any company focusing on privacy partner with Facebook or Google? I would guess that some ardent supporters of such a product/company would be put off by such a partnership, no?

Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
Good question. > Chat-App-Network Messenger had >1Billion users and so its users were 98% of our user base. We enabled them to communicate with users of other chat apps and vice versa. We didn't even use the 'Name' of the users. I applied for their bootstrap phase under their FbStart program but they directly selected it for the Acceleration phase. As for why I applied for Facebook if I care about Privacy? I was a disabled, solopreneur from a village in India, without any kind of network strength competing with Valley behemoths and any kind of help is not just a force multiplier but life or death(But my product was selected meritoriously by FB). Facebook privacy issues(Cambridge Analytica) started only several months after I launched the product, so the image of Facebook was not like what's today. But it did bother me and just after a year of running the platform successfully, I had to close my startup due to my health issues[1]. I did not sell my platform to safe guard the privacy of the users. [1]https://abishekmuthian.com/i-was-told-i-would-become-quadriplegic-68c0371e6f05/ https://abishekmuthian.com/i-was-told-i-would-become-quadrip...

y-c-o-m-b 6y ago

Wow this is incredible for multiple reasons. I'm also working on a dating app and pondered this "security/content" issue, and I am also a victim of spinal damage. I had cervical myelopathy in 2018 and had to have an emergency fusion on C5-C7. I still experience various neurological issues for which they can't trace (they claim it's not related to the spine issues), but causes symptoms very similar to multiple sclerosis (although that's been ruled out). Your condition looks and sounds even more serious than that. I'm sorry you've gone through so much. I hope your health improves and I wish you success!

Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
Is that you Abishek, from the future? :) Thank you for your kind words. I can visualise what you had to go through. I share mutual respect and wishes for your recovery or should I say 'Management of our conditions'. >I still experience various neurological issues for which they can't trace The main issue I had (Tingling on the Face) has been successfully resolved after the surgery. Any other discomfort I had has been largely due to anxiety and post-traumatic stress from surgery, loosing my hard earned startup etc. So targeted efforts in bringing down the anxiety helps me a lot[Staying in present, taking lesser sensory inputs(had dozens of phone calls earlier, now its zero phone calls, only email]. Side note: Does wearing hear rate monitor on the wrist, like Fitbit/Apple watch hurt you after 15-30 mins?[1]. [1]https://abishekmuthian.com/my-experience-with-fitbit-charge-hr-numbness-tingling-and-pain-fec85d41d165/ https://abishekmuthian.com/my-experience-with-fitbit-charge-...
- y-c-o-m-b 6y ago
  Thanks for your kind words. I do not wear fitness trackers. That's a very strange issue. I see you outlined wearing it too tight or EM sensitivity, but there's a couple of other things: heat and sweat. Both of these things are known to play unkindly with nerve damage. For example, I get pins and needles when I sit in the sun. I get a burning nerve pain when I sweat from exercise.
  - Abishek_Muthian 6y ago