Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Monday 9 March 2020
With painted faces, artists fight facial recognition tech

By KELVIN CHAN AP recognition that we are ac-
LONDON (AP) — As night tively participating in and
falls in London, Georgina we want to kind of further
Rowlands and Anna Hart initiate," said Rowlands.
start applying makeup. Rowlands, Hart and two
Instead of lipstick and other artists founded the
eyeliner, they're covering Dazzle Club in August, fol-
their faces with geometric lowing news that London's
shapes. King's Cross district — a
Rowlands has long nar- busy transport hub where
row blue triangles and thin many big offices are being
white rectangles criss-cross- built rapidly — had quietly
ing her face. Hart has a col- experimented with live fa-
lection of red, orange and cial recognition cameras
white angular shapes on without public knowledge
hers. or consent, sparking a
They're two of the four backlash.
founders of the Dazzle London police recently
Club, a group of artists set started using live facial rec-
up last year to provoke dis- ognition cameras on oper-
cussion about the growing ational deployments. Last
using of facial recognition week officers arrested a
technology. In this photo taken on Feb. 17, 2020, artists Georgina Rowlands, left and Anna Hart pose for a woman wanted for assault
The group holds monthly photo with their faces painted. after the cameras picked
silent walks through dif- Associated Press her out of a street crowd
ferent parts of London to on a busy shopping street.
raise awareness about the puter vision - uses cubist-in- den, it's not detecting me," lawmakers and indepen- Police say new technology
technology, which they spired designs to thwart the Rowlands said, checking dent experts raise concerns is needed to keep the pub-
say is being used for "ram- computer, said Rowlands. her phone to see her face about mass surveillance, lic safe and images of inno-
pant surveillance." Other "You're trying to kind of doesn't have a square privacy, and accuracy. cent people are deleted
concerns include its lack scramble that by applying around it. Opposition to algorithmic immediately.
of regulation, inaccuracy these kind of random col- The rise of facial recogni- surveillance is not limited to Public attitudes to facial
and how it affects public ors and patterns," she said. tion technology is being Britain. Russia activists were recognition technology in
spaces. "The most important is hav- tested and spreading in reportedly arrested last Britain appear to be mixed,
Some 19 people attended ing light and dark colors. So developed democracies month for holding a simi- according to one survey
the most recent event in we often go for blacks and after aggressive use in lar face paint protest over last year, which found most
the East London neighbor- whites, very contrasting some more authoritarian Moscow's facial recogni- people said they don't
hood of Shoreditch, and colors, because you're try- countries like China. tion cameras. Hong Kong know enough about it but
anyone can take part in ing to mess with the shad- Britain has long been used pro-democracy activists nearly half said they should
the walks, in which partici- ows and highlights of your to surveillance cameras in routinely use face masks in be able to opt out.
pants have to paint their face." public spaces to counter street protests to hide their The Dazzle Club's founders
faces in a style called CV A similar technique was security threats, and Lon- identities. Rights groups in say they're worried about
Dazzle. used extensively in World don is ranked as having Serbia and Uganda have the effect that the tech-
The technique, developed War I to camouflage Brit- one of the world's highest opposed government proj- nology has on people in
by artist and researcher ish naval ships and confuse concentrations of closed- ects to install Chinese-sup- public if cameras are col-
Adam Harvey, is aimed opponents about the ac- circuit television cameras. plied cameras. lecting their biometric data
at camouflaging against tual heading or location of But that acceptance is Other designers have — facial images — without
facial detection systems, the ships. being tested as authori- come up with counter- clearly explaining what's
which turn images of faces To test that their designs ties and corporations in- measures like sunglasses being done with it.
into mathematical formu- work, they use the simple creasingly seek to deploy that reflect infrared light to "We're having to adjust our
las that can be analyzed face detection feature on a new generation of cam- blind cameras. behavior in public space in
by algorithms. CV Dazzle - their smartphone cameras. eras with facial recognition "There is a movement of a way that I think is prob-
where CV is short for com- "I can see that I'm hid- technology while activists, resistance against facial lematic," said Hart.q

Facebook says it will ban ads for medical face masks

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER book Marketplace, the said in a statement issued General Dr. Jerome M. Ad- Washington, D.C., and
AP Economics Writer company said. Facebook late Friday. ams noted in a tweet on New York City through late
WASHINGTON (AP) — said it would begin to en- Facebook noted that it Feb. 29 that masks aren't May because of a sharp
Facebook is temporar- force the ban over the previously announced a effective in protecting drop in demand. That ser-
ily banning advertisements next few days. ban on ads that make the general public "but if vice will be canceled start-
for medical face masks as "Our teams are monitor- claims about the health healthcare providers can't ing Tuesday and through
part of an effort to prevent ing the COVID-19 situation benefits of a particular get them to care for sick May 28, Amtrak said.
use of its platform to exploit closely and will make nec- product or guaranteed patients, it puts them and The cancellation does not
people's concerns about essary updates to our poli- that "a product will prevent our communities at risk!" affect Amtrak's other high-
the new coronavirus. cies if we see people trying someone from contract- In a separate develop- speed Acela service con-
The ban covers advertise- to exploit this public health ing" the disease. ment, Amtrak announced necting Washington, New
ments on the social media emergency," Rob Leath- Some public health officials that it was canceling its York and Boston, which
platform as well as com- ern, Facebook's director have urged people to stop nonstop Acela passen- runs several times per day
mercial listings on Face- of product management, buying masks. U.S. Surgeon ger train service between with limited stops.q