Three Ways to Escape Facial Recognition in Surveilled Cities
With facial recognition technology becoming increasingly adopted in public spaces, creatives are coming up with wearables that trick the software into thinking you're not a human.
Recognising that facial recognition software still has its flaws, such wearables can confuse the software with deluding shapes. For example, you can distract it with images of random faces, disabling it to make an identification.
The Surveillance Exclusion Mask designed by Jip van Leeuwenstein makes the user practically undetectable to facial recognition software thanks to the lens-shaped form. Yet, because of its transparency, those who are using it don’t lose their identity and are still able to communicate facial expressions.
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Jing-Cai Liu made a Wearable Face Projector that superimposes a different appearance on the user. While a Polish designer, Ewa Nowak, created a brass jewellery-like mask. This project was tested with the use of the DeepFace algorithm that is used by Facebook so it could oppose the facial recognition technologies in practice.
Although these designs are still niche, they could become highly relevant in the future. With facial recognition becoming more widespread, this kind of art may catch on as something more than the next trend in functional fashion.
