Source: The New Yorker youtube
The New Yorker Festival presents Edward Snowden in conversation with Jane Mayer.
Showing posts with label Surveillance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surveillance. Show all posts
NSA built “Google-like” interface to scan 850+ billion metadata records, Aug. 25, 2014
Source: arstechnica.com
According to newly published documents, the National Security Agency has built a “Google-like” search interface for its vast database of metadata, and the agency shares it with dozens of other American intelligence agencies. The new documents are part of the Snowden leaks and were first published on Monday by The Intercept.
The new search tool, called ICREACH, is described in an internal NSA presentation as a “large scale expansion of communications metadata shared with [intelligence community] partners.” That same presentation shows that ICREACH has been operational since the pilot launched in May 2007. Not only is data being shared to more agencies, but there are more types of such data being shared—ICREACH searches over 850 billion records.
New data types being shared include IMEI numbers (a unique identifier on each mobile handset), IMSI (another unique identifier for SIM cards), GPS coordinates, e-mail address, and chat handles, among others. Previously, such metadata was only limited to date, time, duration, called number, and calling number.
Read the full article at: arstechnica.com
According to newly published documents, the National Security Agency has built a “Google-like” search interface for its vast database of metadata, and the agency shares it with dozens of other American intelligence agencies. The new documents are part of the Snowden leaks and were first published on Monday by The Intercept.The new search tool, called ICREACH, is described in an internal NSA presentation as a “large scale expansion of communications metadata shared with [intelligence community] partners.” That same presentation shows that ICREACH has been operational since the pilot launched in May 2007. Not only is data being shared to more agencies, but there are more types of such data being shared—ICREACH searches over 850 billion records.
New data types being shared include IMEI numbers (a unique identifier on each mobile handset), IMSI (another unique identifier for SIM cards), GPS coordinates, e-mail address, and chat handles, among others. Previously, such metadata was only limited to date, time, duration, called number, and calling number.
Read the full article at: arstechnica.com
Xaviant Haze | Is Total Global Surveillance SKYNET (Terminator-like) REAL? | FarOutRadio
Source: farOutRadio.com
Skynet is REAL! - In March 2013 Xaviant Haze wrote an essay titled, “Skynet Is REAL!” In the essay he stitches together a picture that pulls together, out in the open reports and quotes that world leaders and military people that are preparing a future where wars and conflicts will be fought using robots controlled by Wi-Fi and Cloud Computing systems.
There’s even a for real “Skynet” British military computer satellite system that it currently being used to control America’s killer drones. Let’s hope and pray that Terminator 2: Judgment Day scenario does NOT come true! -FarOutRadio.com
Skynet is REAL! - In March 2013 Xaviant Haze wrote an essay titled, “Skynet Is REAL!” In the essay he stitches together a picture that pulls together, out in the open reports and quotes that world leaders and military people that are preparing a future where wars and conflicts will be fought using robots controlled by Wi-Fi and Cloud Computing systems.
There’s even a for real “Skynet” British military computer satellite system that it currently being used to control America’s killer drones. Let’s hope and pray that Terminator 2: Judgment Day scenario does NOT come true! -FarOutRadio.com
James Bamford Describes His NEW Interview With Edward Snowden, Aug. 14, 2014
Source: MOXNews.com, RT.com, wired.com
The US National Security Agency owns a “MonsterMind” program designed to prevent foreign cyberattacks and, also, automatically strike back, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden told Wired magazine.
In his latest revelation, Snowden said that the defense software in the works would robotically hunt for the launches of foreign cyberattacks against the US and neutralize them.
MonsterMind - unlike similar schemes that have existed for many years now - would also be capable to fire back at such attacks without any human intervention Snowden said in an extended interview with Wired’s writer James Bamford.
The new defense program, Snowden warned, could unintentionally cause serious diplomatic incidents, because many cyberattacks are routed through computers in countries that are not aware of their involvement. That means that a retaliation strike launched by the US system could lead to a conflict with the nation where the machines used by adversaries are located.
“These attacks can be spoofed,” Snowden said. “You could have someone sitting in China, for example, making it appear that one of these attacks is originating in Russia. And then we end up shooting back at a Russian hospital. What happens next?”
The NSA leaker did not specify how exactly a counterstrike would work and whether it would completely disable the attacking system.
Huge privacy concerns is another problem that MonsterMind could stir up, Snowden believes. To make the program work, the NSA would have to spy on basically spy on all private communications coming in from abroad to the US, the whistleblower explained.
“The argument is that the only way we can identify these malicious traffic flows and respond to them is if we're analyzing all traffic flows,” Snowden said. “And if we're analyzing all traffic flows, that means we have to be intercepting all traffic flows.” This, in his words, is a violation on the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, “seizing private communications without a warrant, without probable cause or even a suspicion of wrongdoing”.
A spokesperson for the NSA declined to comment on MonsterMind, Wired wrote. -RT.com
Read more at: wired.com
The US National Security Agency owns a “MonsterMind” program designed to prevent foreign cyberattacks and, also, automatically strike back, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden told Wired magazine.
In his latest revelation, Snowden said that the defense software in the works would robotically hunt for the launches of foreign cyberattacks against the US and neutralize them.
MonsterMind - unlike similar schemes that have existed for many years now - would also be capable to fire back at such attacks without any human intervention Snowden said in an extended interview with Wired’s writer James Bamford.
The new defense program, Snowden warned, could unintentionally cause serious diplomatic incidents, because many cyberattacks are routed through computers in countries that are not aware of their involvement. That means that a retaliation strike launched by the US system could lead to a conflict with the nation where the machines used by adversaries are located.
“These attacks can be spoofed,” Snowden said. “You could have someone sitting in China, for example, making it appear that one of these attacks is originating in Russia. And then we end up shooting back at a Russian hospital. What happens next?”
The NSA leaker did not specify how exactly a counterstrike would work and whether it would completely disable the attacking system.
Huge privacy concerns is another problem that MonsterMind could stir up, Snowden believes. To make the program work, the NSA would have to spy on basically spy on all private communications coming in from abroad to the US, the whistleblower explained.
“The argument is that the only way we can identify these malicious traffic flows and respond to them is if we're analyzing all traffic flows,” Snowden said. “And if we're analyzing all traffic flows, that means we have to be intercepting all traffic flows.” This, in his words, is a violation on the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, “seizing private communications without a warrant, without probable cause or even a suspicion of wrongdoing”.
A spokesperson for the NSA declined to comment on MonsterMind, Wired wrote. -RT.com
Read more at: wired.com
Spying Virus Infects Smartphones, Mimics Regular Software Update, Aug. 7, 2014
Source: RT.com
A Russian IT company has discovered half-a-million phones across the globe are infected with malware, allowing them to be controlled remotely. With it, everything from your banking passwords to your text messages could be spied on. RT's Neil Harvey spoke with a member of the company that uncovered the security breach. -RT.com
A Russian IT company has discovered half-a-million phones across the globe are infected with malware, allowing them to be controlled remotely. With it, everything from your banking passwords to your text messages could be spied on. RT's Neil Harvey spoke with a member of the company that uncovered the security breach. -RT.com
"NSA aka No Such Amendment a grouse violation of rights" – Ex-CIA Officer, Aug. 6, 2014
Source: RT.com
It appears the US has a new whistleblower, who's leaking secrets on its surveillance programs. CNN broke the news, citing American officials. RT spoke on the issue with former CIA officer Ray Mcgovern. -RT.com
Illegal Spying Below: Activists Fly Anti-Surveillance Airship over NSA's Utah Data Center
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today released a video by acclaimed documentarian Brian Knappenberger (The Internet's Own Boy) that explores how and why an unlikely coalition of advocacy organizations launched an airship over the National Security Agency's Utah data center.
The short documentary explains the urgent need to rein in unconstitutional mass surveillance, just as the U.S. Senate has introduced a new version of the USA FREEDOM Act.
It appears the US has a new whistleblower, who's leaking secrets on its surveillance programs. CNN broke the news, citing American officials. RT spoke on the issue with former CIA officer Ray Mcgovern. -RT.com
Illegal Spying Below: Activists Fly Anti-Surveillance Airship over NSA's Utah Data Center
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today released a video by acclaimed documentarian Brian Knappenberger (The Internet's Own Boy) that explores how and why an unlikely coalition of advocacy organizations launched an airship over the National Security Agency's Utah data center.
The short documentary explains the urgent need to rein in unconstitutional mass surveillance, just as the U.S. Senate has introduced a new version of the USA FREEDOM Act.
Mini spy-craft: US Army working on pocket-sized surveillance drones, July 26, 2014
Source: RT.com
The United States military is developing a mini-surveillance drone that would fit into soldiers’ pockets, with special features for dangerous combat zones.
The US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in Massachusetts is behind the new technology research.
The mini-drone is called the 'Cargo Pocket ISR' and includes features such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
It looks like a toy palm-sized helicopter and weighs only 16 grams. But despite its miniature physical characteristics, the mini-drone will be capable of performing serious tasks.
The technology used by the Americans will borrow heavily from existing capabilities seen in pocket surveillance drones already in use by British troops in places like Afghanistan.
“Prox Dynamics' PD-100 Black Hornet, a palm-sized miniature helicopter weighing only 16 grams, has the ability to fly up to 20 minutes while providing real-time video via a digital data link from one of the three embedded cameras and operates remotely with GPS navigation,” the description of the British drone reads in the Army’s official press release published this week.
The best advantage is that due to its tiny propellers and motors, the device will be virtually undetectable to subjects under surveillance, the official press release said.
The goal is to provide soldiers with similar, but more short-distance reconnaissance capabilities that larger unmanned aerial vehicles have. After the work is done, the little machine will also be able to fly in low-light, as well as indoors.
Although combining the high-tech surveillance approach with a pocket-sized drone is a project still somewhat in its infancy for the US military, there are other squad-level surveillance devices already in use; the army tested hi-tech throwable cameras back in 2011.
Acting NSRDEC technical director Dr. Laurel Allender praised the new technology. “The Cargo Pocket ISR is a true example of an applied systems approach for developing new soldier capabilities. It provides an integrated capability for the soldier and small unit for increased situational awareness and understanding with negligible impact on soldier load and agility,” she said.
After the development stage is complete, the mini-drone will have to comply with the Army’s digital security standards.
The United States military is developing a mini-surveillance drone that would fit into soldiers’ pockets, with special features for dangerous combat zones.
The US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in Massachusetts is behind the new technology research.
The mini-drone is called the 'Cargo Pocket ISR' and includes features such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
It looks like a toy palm-sized helicopter and weighs only 16 grams. But despite its miniature physical characteristics, the mini-drone will be capable of performing serious tasks.
The technology used by the Americans will borrow heavily from existing capabilities seen in pocket surveillance drones already in use by British troops in places like Afghanistan.
“Prox Dynamics' PD-100 Black Hornet, a palm-sized miniature helicopter weighing only 16 grams, has the ability to fly up to 20 minutes while providing real-time video via a digital data link from one of the three embedded cameras and operates remotely with GPS navigation,” the description of the British drone reads in the Army’s official press release published this week.
The best advantage is that due to its tiny propellers and motors, the device will be virtually undetectable to subjects under surveillance, the official press release said.
The goal is to provide soldiers with similar, but more short-distance reconnaissance capabilities that larger unmanned aerial vehicles have. After the work is done, the little machine will also be able to fly in low-light, as well as indoors.
Although combining the high-tech surveillance approach with a pocket-sized drone is a project still somewhat in its infancy for the US military, there are other squad-level surveillance devices already in use; the army tested hi-tech throwable cameras back in 2011.
Acting NSRDEC technical director Dr. Laurel Allender praised the new technology. “The Cargo Pocket ISR is a true example of an applied systems approach for developing new soldier capabilities. It provides an integrated capability for the soldier and small unit for increased situational awareness and understanding with negligible impact on soldier load and agility,” she said.
After the development stage is complete, the mini-drone will have to comply with the Army’s digital security standards.
DARPA to Track "All Human Activities That Can be Measured", July 26, 2014
Source: infowars.com
DARPA is soliciting companies to provide new technology that would allow the U.S. Department of Defense to predict future "societal unrest" by keeping track of "all human activities that can be measured." Read more at: infowars.com
DARPA is soliciting companies to provide new technology that would allow the U.S. Department of Defense to predict future "societal unrest" by keeping track of "all human activities that can be measured." Read more at: infowars.com
Berlin orders CIA chief out of country over US spying, July 10, 2014
Source: RT.com
The top US intelligence representative working in Germany has been asked to leave the country. It comes after two German officials in a week were revealed as American spies. RT's Peter Oliver has more on the story. -RT.com
NSA's Muslim targets: Rights groups demand details, July 10, 2014
The NSA doesn't spy on only foreign citizens. The latest batch of revelations from Edward Snowden claim the agency has been targeting prominent Muslim Americans. Even though there is no evidence any of them are connected to terrorism. RT's Marina Portnaya takes us through the reaction. -RT.com
The top US intelligence representative working in Germany has been asked to leave the country. It comes after two German officials in a week were revealed as American spies. RT's Peter Oliver has more on the story. -RT.com
NSA's Muslim targets: Rights groups demand details, July 10, 2014
The NSA doesn't spy on only foreign citizens. The latest batch of revelations from Edward Snowden claim the agency has been targeting prominent Muslim Americans. Even though there is no evidence any of them are connected to terrorism. RT's Marina Portnaya takes us through the reaction. -RT.com
William Binney NSA Whistleblower | 'NSA owns Entire Network Anywhere in the World' | July 4, 2014
Source: Read Full Script
NSA global reach is omnipresent. The US intelligence controls the entire cyber network across the globe, violating individual piracy by storing endless data on its increasingly enlarged servers, former NSA crypto-mathematician, William Binney, told RT. Read Full Script
You were first William. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us. Thank you William!
NSA global reach is omnipresent. The US intelligence controls the entire cyber network across the globe, violating individual piracy by storing endless data on its increasingly enlarged servers, former NSA crypto-mathematician, William Binney, told RT. Read Full Script
You were first William. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us. Thank you William!
NSA can spy on 98 percent of the world, July 1, 2014
Source: RT.com
Despite President Obama's January speech limiting the scope of National Security Agency surveillance, a new Washington Post article outlines a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court could turn that notion on its head. The ruling allows the NSA to conduct surveillance on 193 countries around the world. Only four countries in the world are excluded from the ruling: Canada, Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand. RT Correspondent Meghan Lopez walks us through the latest revelations. -RT.com
Despite President Obama's January speech limiting the scope of National Security Agency surveillance, a new Washington Post article outlines a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court could turn that notion on its head. The ruling allows the NSA to conduct surveillance on 193 countries around the world. Only four countries in the world are excluded from the ruling: Canada, Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand. RT Correspondent Meghan Lopez walks us through the latest revelations. -RT.com
Jon Rappoport | Snowden, Self-Censorship & Friendly Fascism | Hour 1 | June 16, 2014
Source: redicecreations.com, nomorefakenews.com
June 16, 2014–Returning guest, Jon Rappoport is an investigative journalist, author and publisher of the website nomorefakenews.com. He has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health. Although his main focus over these years has been the power of the imagination and creativity, he is most often cited and interviewed on conspiracies and global elites.
In this program, we’ll explore Snowden. Who is he and what’s really going on? We’ll also take a closer look at his favored journalists and talk about what he’s doing in Russia. Jon also discusses how the NSA wants to know how their spying is affecting us and in what ways. The thought police is here.
Facebook has admitted to saving everything you type, even if you don’t publish it. They want to know what you are self-censoring. We’ll discuss how people have been conditioned to self censor. -redicecreations.com
download hour 1 mp3
June 16, 2014–Returning guest, Jon Rappoport is an investigative journalist, author and publisher of the website nomorefakenews.com. He has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health. Although his main focus over these years has been the power of the imagination and creativity, he is most often cited and interviewed on conspiracies and global elites.
In this program, we’ll explore Snowden. Who is he and what’s really going on? We’ll also take a closer look at his favored journalists and talk about what he’s doing in Russia. Jon also discusses how the NSA wants to know how their spying is affecting us and in what ways. The thought police is here.
Facebook has admitted to saving everything you type, even if you don’t publish it. They want to know what you are self-censoring. We’ll discuss how people have been conditioned to self censor. -redicecreations.com
download hour 1 mp3
NSA scours web for images to use in facial recognition program, June 2, 2014
Source: RT.com
The National Security Agency is collecting millions of images via social media and private communications to use in a facial recognition system, according to new leaked documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden. Saturday, journalists James Risen and Laura Poitras published an article in The New York Times detailing an increasingly complex facial recognition system used by the spy agency. Also included in the documents are mentions of plans to use iris scans to compliment the program. Discussing these latest NSA revelations with RT's Lindsay France is John Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. -RT.com
The National Security Agency is collecting millions of images via social media and private communications to use in a facial recognition system, according to new leaked documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden. Saturday, journalists James Risen and Laura Poitras published an article in The New York Times detailing an increasingly complex facial recognition system used by the spy agency. Also included in the documents are mentions of plans to use iris scans to compliment the program. Discussing these latest NSA revelations with RT's Lindsay France is John Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. -RT.com
Snowden hits back at government attacks in national TV interview, May 29, 2014
Source: RT.com
Edward Snowden made waves in the national media Wednesday night in his first national TV interview. NBC's Brian Williams questioned the 30-year-old National Security Agency whistleblower on why he leaked thousands of classified documents that revealed the extent of the NSA's electronic surveillance practices. Defending his actions, as well as his asylum in Russia, Snowden hit back at government accusations he provided classified security information to foreign governments and harmed the nation's security. RT's Ameera David discusses the interview with Jesselyn Radack, one of Snowden's attorneys; journalist and activist Norman Solomon; and former Reagan administration official Bruce Fein. -RT.com
Edward Snowden made waves in the national media Wednesday night in his first national TV interview. NBC's Brian Williams questioned the 30-year-old National Security Agency whistleblower on why he leaked thousands of classified documents that revealed the extent of the NSA's electronic surveillance practices. Defending his actions, as well as his asylum in Russia, Snowden hit back at government accusations he provided classified security information to foreign governments and harmed the nation's security. RT's Ameera David discusses the interview with Jesselyn Radack, one of Snowden's attorneys; journalist and activist Norman Solomon; and former Reagan administration official Bruce Fein. -RT.com
'Afghanis deserve to know NSA is violating their rights' - Wikileaks, May 23, 2014
Source: RT.com, wikileaks.org
Afghanistan is the 2nd country, where all domestic and international calls are being monitored by the NSA. The newest revelation was made by Julian Assange and Wikileaks -- though not all of the whistleblowing community is happy about it. Kristinn Hrafnsson, Wikileaks spokesman and RT's Polly Boyko explain more. -RT.com
Afghanistan is the 2nd country, where all domestic and international calls are being monitored by the NSA. The newest revelation was made by Julian Assange and Wikileaks -- though not all of the whistleblowing community is happy about it. Kristinn Hrafnsson, Wikileaks spokesman and RT's Polly Boyko explain more. -RT.com
White House will release memo justifying drone strikes against Americans, May 21, 2014
Source: RT.com
The White House will not appeal a federal court's order to release the memo outlining the administration's legal arguments for the use of lethal drone strikes against American citizens. The announcement was made Tuesday on the eve of a key Senate vote. David Barron, President Barack Obama's nominee for a seat on the US Court of Appeals, cleared a procedural Senate vote Wednesday. Voting 52 to 43, Barron will now proceed to a formal confirmation vote. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voiced his opposition, saying anyone who argues the president has the power to kill an American citizen without trial "is not worthy of being placed one step away from the Supreme Court." Lindsay France discusses these and other breaking developments on Capitol Hill with RT's Sam Sacks. -RT.com
The White House will not appeal a federal court's order to release the memo outlining the administration's legal arguments for the use of lethal drone strikes against American citizens. The announcement was made Tuesday on the eve of a key Senate vote. David Barron, President Barack Obama's nominee for a seat on the US Court of Appeals, cleared a procedural Senate vote Wednesday. Voting 52 to 43, Barron will now proceed to a formal confirmation vote. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voiced his opposition, saying anyone who argues the president has the power to kill an American citizen without trial "is not worthy of being placed one step away from the Supreme Court." Lindsay France discusses these and other breaking developments on Capitol Hill with RT's Sam Sacks. -RT.com
Glenn Greenwald: U.S. Corporate Media is "Neutered, Impotent and Obsolete", May 14, 2014
Source: democracynow.org
In the final part of our extended interview, Glenn Greenwald reflects on the Pulitzer Prize, adversarial journalism and the corporate media’s response to his reporting on Edward Snowden’s leaked National Security Agency documents. "We knew that once we started publishing not one or two stories, but dozens of stories … that not just the government, but even fellow journalists were going to start to look at what we were doing with increasing levels of hostility and to start to say, 'This doesn't actually seem like journalism anymore,’ because it’s not the kind of journalism that they do," Greenwald says. "It doesn’t abide by these unspoken rules that are designed to protect the government." -democracynow.org
Transcript
In the final part of our extended interview, Glenn Greenwald reflects on the Pulitzer Prize, adversarial journalism and the corporate media’s response to his reporting on Edward Snowden’s leaked National Security Agency documents. "We knew that once we started publishing not one or two stories, but dozens of stories … that not just the government, but even fellow journalists were going to start to look at what we were doing with increasing levels of hostility and to start to say, 'This doesn't actually seem like journalism anymore,’ because it’s not the kind of journalism that they do," Greenwald says. "It doesn’t abide by these unspoken rules that are designed to protect the government." -democracynow.org
Transcript
More NSA Secrets Revealed, May 13, 2014
Source: RT.com
Journalist Glenn Greenwald's new book No Place to Hide hit shelves Tuesday. In it, Greenwald tells the story of how he came into contact with former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and his months of reporting on the some of the NSA's most coveted secrets.The new book also contains a trove of new NSA documents that were released for the first time today. RT's Sam Sacks breaks down this new information being reveiled about the NSA. -RT.com
Journalist Glenn Greenwald's new book No Place to Hide hit shelves Tuesday. In it, Greenwald tells the story of how he came into contact with former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and his months of reporting on the some of the NSA's most coveted secrets.The new book also contains a trove of new NSA documents that were released for the first time today. RT's Sam Sacks breaks down this new information being reveiled about the NSA. -RT.com
US Spy Chief Cracks Down on Whistleblowers, May 12, 2014
Source: RT.com
Open-information activists are calling a new rule being implemented by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence a "gag order" on public debate. The rule in question prohibits employees of the office from publically discussing or writing about leaked information.
Activists believe this will prevent employees from speaking out on perceived wrongdoing by the intelligence community, forcing them to repeat official positions given by government officials. As many note, these official positions and the truth are often very different. RT's Lindsay France discusses the controversial new policy with Kathleen McClellan, the national security and human rights counsel for the Government Accountability Project. -RT.com
Open-information activists are calling a new rule being implemented by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence a "gag order" on public debate. The rule in question prohibits employees of the office from publically discussing or writing about leaked information.
Activists believe this will prevent employees from speaking out on perceived wrongdoing by the intelligence community, forcing them to repeat official positions given by government officials. As many note, these official positions and the truth are often very different. RT's Lindsay France discusses the controversial new policy with Kathleen McClellan, the national security and human rights counsel for the Government Accountability Project. -RT.com
Algorithm Is First to Identify Faces Better Than Humans Can, April 23, 2014
Source: discovermagazine.com
By Carl Engelking
Let’s face it, from trivia to teaching, computers are doing things we thought were uniquely human — and doing them better. Now, facial recognition, a skill humans once dominated, has a new champion. Computer scientists have developed a facial recognition algorithm that, for the first time, outperforms humans’ own abilities.
Facial recognition systems are already better than humans at comparing two images to determine if they are the same person, but only when variables like lighting, pose and expression are controlled. When you shake things up, humans still correctly identify faces with over 97 percent accuracy; before now no other algorithm had come close that mark. However, scientists’ new algorithm, called GaussianFace, performed the feat with an accuracy of 98.52 percent.
Training the Champ
The new algorithm condenses each face it “sees” into a small image to position the eyes, nose, and corners of the mouth in consistent locations. Then, it further divides the image into small, overlapping squares and mathematically charts each square’s unique characteristics, allowing it to compare two images.
Scientists trained the algorithm to look for correct facial features by setting it loose on four massive datasets of face images. Once training was complete, it was time for the main event: Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW).
LFW is a dataset of 13,000 face images, and is considered the gauntlet for face recognition algorithms. It challenges programs to determine whether a pair of pictures is the same person or different people. However, each photo switches up angles, lighting, makeup and expressions to really test an algorithm’s proficiency.
The GaussianFace algorithm emerged from the test a champion, beating humans’ 97.35 percent average performance on LFW. The algorithm could someday be used in myriad applications including security, image retrieval, and biometric credentials for our computers and mobile devices. The scientists published their findings earlier this month in the online journal arXiv.
Want to see how you’d do against the computer? Check out Medium’s collection of facial images and see if you can tell which are matches.
By Carl Engelking
Let’s face it, from trivia to teaching, computers are doing things we thought were uniquely human — and doing them better. Now, facial recognition, a skill humans once dominated, has a new champion. Computer scientists have developed a facial recognition algorithm that, for the first time, outperforms humans’ own abilities.
Facial recognition systems are already better than humans at comparing two images to determine if they are the same person, but only when variables like lighting, pose and expression are controlled. When you shake things up, humans still correctly identify faces with over 97 percent accuracy; before now no other algorithm had come close that mark. However, scientists’ new algorithm, called GaussianFace, performed the feat with an accuracy of 98.52 percent.
Training the Champ
The new algorithm condenses each face it “sees” into a small image to position the eyes, nose, and corners of the mouth in consistent locations. Then, it further divides the image into small, overlapping squares and mathematically charts each square’s unique characteristics, allowing it to compare two images.
Scientists trained the algorithm to look for correct facial features by setting it loose on four massive datasets of face images. Once training was complete, it was time for the main event: Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW).
LFW is a dataset of 13,000 face images, and is considered the gauntlet for face recognition algorithms. It challenges programs to determine whether a pair of pictures is the same person or different people. However, each photo switches up angles, lighting, makeup and expressions to really test an algorithm’s proficiency.
The GaussianFace algorithm emerged from the test a champion, beating humans’ 97.35 percent average performance on LFW. The algorithm could someday be used in myriad applications including security, image retrieval, and biometric credentials for our computers and mobile devices. The scientists published their findings earlier this month in the online journal arXiv.
Want to see how you’d do against the computer? Check out Medium’s collection of facial images and see if you can tell which are matches.
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