http://fortunascorner.com/2016/06/03/facial-recognition-will-soon-end-your-anonymity-a-new-age-in-espionagespying-advances-in-biometrics-and-identity-management-could-force-single-use-humint-operatiions/
Facial Recognition Will Soon End Your Anonymity; A New Age In Espionage/Spying; Advances In Biometrics And Identity Management Could Force Single-Use HUMINT Operations June 3, 2016 · by RC Porter <http://fortunascorner.com/author/rcporterbloggmail-com/> · in big data <http://fortunascorner.com/category/big-data/>, biometrics <http://fortunascorner.com/category/biometrics/>, CIA <http://fortunascorner.com/category/cia/>, DIA <http://fortunascorner.com/category/dia/>, espionage, spying <http://fortunascorner.com/category/espionage-spying/>, identity management <http://fortunascorner.com/category/identity-management/>, Intelligence Community <http://fortunascorner.com/category/intelligence-community-2/>, national security <http://fortunascorner.com/category/national-security/>, NSA <http://fortunascorner.com/category/nsa/>, Science & Technology <http://fortunascorner.com/category/science-technology/>, social media <http://fortunascorner.com/category/social-media/>, technology & innovation <http://fortunascorner.com/category/technology-innovation/> · Leave a comment <http://fortunascorner.com/2016/06/03/facial-recognition-will-soon-end-your-anonymity-a-new-age-in-espionagespying-advances-in-biometrics-and-identity-management-could-force-single-use-humint-operatiions/#respond> *Facial Recognition Will Soon End Your Anonymity; A New Age In Espionage/Spying; Advances In Biometrics And Identity Management Could Force Single-Use HUMINT Operations* *www.fortunascorner.com <http://www.fortunascorner.com>* * “Facial Recognition Will Soon End Your Anonymity,” *is the title of a June 3, 2016 article on the *Marketwatch *website, by Mr. Tarun Wadhwa,. Mr. Wadhwa begins with an astonishing observation, “nearly 250 million video surveillance cameras have been installed throughout the world, and chances are — you’ve been seen by several of them today.” And, due to recent advances in facial recognition technology, “soon, anybody with a high-resolution camera and the right software will be able to determine your identity,” Mr. Wadhwa contends. “That’s because several technologies are converging to make this accessible. Recognition algorithms have become far more accurate, the devices we carry can process huge amounts of data, and there’s massive databases of faces now available on social media that are tied to our real names. As facial recognition enters the mainstream, it will have serious implications for your privacy,” he warns. * “A new app called **FindFace, recently released in Russia, gives us a glimpse into what this future might look like,” *Mr. Wadhwa wrote. “Made by two 20-something entrepreneurs, *FindFace allows anybody to snap a photo of a passerby, and discover their real name — already with 70 percent reliability. [Additionally], the app allows people to upload photos and compare faces to user profiles from the popular social network — Vkontakte — returning a result within seconds. According to an interview in the Guardian, the founders claim to already have 500,000 users; and, have processed over 3 million searches in the two months since they have launched.”* “What’s particularly upsetting,” Mr. Wadhwa argues, “are the use cases they advocate: identifying strangers to send them dating requests; helping government security agencies to determine the identity of dissenters; and, allowing retailers to bombard you with advertisements, based on what you look at in stores.” And, Mr. Wadhwa adds, the technology, not surprisingly, “is already being used in questionable ways. For example, he notes, “some users have tried to identify fellow riders on the subway, while others are using the app to reveal the real names of porn actresses against their will. Powerful facial recognition technology is now in the hands of consumers [and anyone else] to use how they please.” And, the technology not only continues to advance, but it is proliferating as well. “Microsoft Corporation has patented technology that can allow a billboard to determine who you are; and, show you personalized advertisements,” Mr. Wadhwa notes. “British authorities are using facial recognition at music festivals to spot troublemakers, while brick-and-mortar stores worldwide, are racing to adopt the technology to track local customers,” and so on. Mr. Wadhwa observes that “this leads to a situation that conjures up our worst fears with surveillance. You have no control whether your face is linked to other databases — such as loyalty rewards programs, or police watch lists — or how that information is shared.” “To be clear,” Mr. Wadhwa acknowledges, “the technology still has some major hurdles to overcome: It’s far less useful in poor lighting, at strange angles, and when the video quality is low. But,. we leave our *“faceprints” *everywhere we go, which means our movements can be tracked and stored on an unprecedented scale. We’d be wise to start preparing for the consequences now,” he urges. *Advancements In Biometric Signature Collection Could Soon Force Single-Use HUMINT Operations* Identity management, biometrics — DNA-shedding, facial recognition, IRIS scanning, body scanning at airports and other facilities, the texture of ones veins as well as the texture of one’s ears, digital fingerprints, digital exhaust, and so on — make it very, very difficult to conduct and maintain undercover HUMINT operations. As these technologies continue to mature, along with advancements in big data mining, we could soon be forced into single-use HUMINT operative missions. Big data mining, big data analytics — connecting-the-dots also adds another sophisticated layer for hostile intelligence agencies to discover and compromise our agents in the field. Add to this mix, the leak by Edward Snowden, and China’s breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) — and, you get the sense that hiding, and keeping someone hidden — is getting much harder to do. *Creating, And Maintaining A Fake Identity — Is Getting More, And More Difficult* An August 1, 2015 article in The Economist summed it up pretty well: “Creating and maintaining a fake identity — keeping someone under cover — is much more difficult,” The Economist noted. Perhaps more difficult than at any other time in our history. “Anyone without years of credit-card, mobile-phone, and utility bills, is automatically pinpointed as a potential spy for the other side,” The Economist wrote. I would also add that a lack of a web presence — nothing on FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. is also a likely red flag for hostile intelligence agencies when surveiling a suspected spy. “Credit-cards, mobile phone bills, and a web presence, can be faked; but, it takes a lot of time and intensive effort. One small mistake, one small clue — can bring the whole cover story to a chaotic end. “Worse, is biometric information,” the publication noted; and, also something I have written about pretty extensively on this blog. “If you claim to visit Russia for the first time, but your facial bone structure, gait, retina scan, or DNA shows you were there before under another name — you are in trouble. Spymasters cannot easily overcome these difficulties — using people with solid, real-world identities who act as spies on the side is far harder than faking identities.” “Technology has turned the spy world upside down. The benefits of successful espionage have never been greater. But, so are the penalties for carelessness, both in public opprobrium, and secret disaster,” The Economist concluded. As Kate Brannan wrote In an April 6, 2015 article in *Foreign Policy, *“gone are the days of entering a country with a false passport, and wearing a wig and a mustache to hide your true identity. becomes nearly impossible to evade detection. *But — All May Not Be Lost — Anti-Surveillance Mask Can Hide You From Biometric Face Scanners: “An Alternative Identity While In Public”* Mac Salvo had an on-line article in the May 13, 2014 *SHTFplan.com*, writing that, “just as quickly as governments introduce the technologies that are supposed to keep us safe from terrorists, and ourselves, enterprising rebels across the country are working [on ways] to counter them. This latest counter-surveillance technology comes in the biometrics/identity management domain.” “With literally hundreds of thousands of cameras now watching our every move. — and, plugging directly into [big] data-mining fusion centers, — where are activities are analyzed, aggregated, and dispatched according to our perceived threat, some might think the system is unbeatable. “Short of plastic surgery,” asks Mr. Salvo, “how can we modify our faces, to disappear from prying eyes — when we step out our front door?” “If Leo Selvaggio has his way,” writes Mr. Salvo, “you’ll be able to assume an alternative identity by using age-old, low-tech strategy made possible by modern-day 3D printers.” “It is so simple it is brilliant,” adds Mr. Salvo, who contends that Mr. Selvaggio’s “innovation is capable of compromising multi-billion dollar facial recognition surveillance systems — with the use of an easily obtainable, personal prosthetic mask, or Personal Surveillance Identity Prosthetic (PSIP). It is one of three products made by the Chicago-based URME Surveillance, a venture dedicated to “protecting the public from surveillance; and, creating a safe space to explore our digital identities.” “The 3-D printed, resin mask, made from a 3-D scan of Selvaggio’s face, and manufactured by *ThatsMyFace.com*, renders his features and skin tone — with surprising realism, though the eyes peeping out from the eye holes do lend a certain creepiness to the look,” noted Mr. Salvo. “When you wear these devices, the camera will track me instead of you and your actions in public space will be attributed as mine because it will make the cameras see,” the artist who’s working toward his Maters in Fine Arts at Chicago’s Columbia College. “All UMRE devices have been tested for facial recognition; and each probably identifies the wearer of me on *FaceBook* , which has some of the most sophisticated facial recognition around.” Mr. Salvo notes that “the anti-face recognition technology is currently available in Leo Selvaggio’s image, so government systems spotting anyone wearing the mask will flag him as the culprit. But the implications are so broad that somewhere inside the Department of Homeland Security, surveillance personnel are undoubtedly scrambling to thwart it, because it presents a serious hiccough to the surveillance state With the ease of 3-D printing, any technophile with the ability to mimic someone else’s face via 3-D graphing software will have the ability to literally assume a person’s identity by simply printing their face and wearing it. In a world of biometric surveillance, that means anybody can disappear from view and essentially become a 21st century Silence Dogood.” (Mrs. Silence Dogood was the false persona used by Benjamin Franklin (at the age of 16 in 1722) to get his work published after the New England Courant had denied several previous attempts by the young Mr. Franklin to have his work appear in print). __._,_.___ ------------------------------ Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected]> ------------------------------ Visit Your Group <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmN3ExYWpnBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0NjQ5ODU1MzQ-> [image: Yahoo! 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