Your Face Belongs to Us: The Secretive Startup Dismantling Your Privacy
by Kashmir Hill
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
WHEN KASHMIR Hill, a technology journalist at The New York Times, tried on a W pair of chunky augmented reality glasses in 2021, she caught a glimpse of what a sophisticated technology could unleash on a world that is not prepared to handle it. The glasses were no ordinary gadget; they revealed to the wearer the identity of any individual seen in the frame. They also displayed photos of the person uploaded on the internet, along with data on where they were clicked.
Powering these augmented reality glasses is an artificial intelligence algorithm designed by Clearview AI, a New York city-based facial recognition technology startup, founded in 2017. The company would go on to sign a contract with the US Air Force to research augmented reality glasses to help with security on military bases. Hoan Ton-That, an Australian national who is the CEO and co-founder of the company, tells Hill that the idea behind the gadget was to help soldiers decide whether someone standing at a distance of 15 m was dangerous or not.
But concerns over the technology's possible misuse are largely ignored by the entrepreneur, who is keen on convincing people why they need to make their faces available for the world to see. This is something that Hill effectively brings out in her book Your Face Belongs to Us.
Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin March 01, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin March 01, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Trade On Emissions
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?
TASTE IT RED
Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.
The politics and economics of mpox
Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid
Emerging risks
Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.
JOINING THE CARBON CLUB
India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL
Turn a new leaf
Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests
Festering troubles
The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.
