N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images

[francisco]

N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images

By JAMES RISEN and LAURA POITRAS
MAY 31, 2014

The National Security Agency is harvesting huge numbers of images of people from communications that it intercepts through its global surveillance operations for use in sophisticated facial recognition programs, according to top-secret documents.

The spy agency’s reliance on facial recognition technology has grown significantly over the last four years as the agency has turned to new software to exploit the flood of images included in emails, text messages, social media, videoconferences and other communications, the N.S.A. documents reveal. Agency officials believe that technological advances could revolutionize the way that the N.S.A. finds intelligence targets around the world, the documents show. The agency’s ambitions for this highly sensitive ability and the scale of its effort have not previously been disclosed.

The agency intercepts “millions of images per day” — including about 55,000 “facial recognition quality images” — which translate into “tremendous untapped potential,” according to 2011 documents obtained from the former agency contractor Edward J. Snowden. While once focused on written and oral communications, the N.S.A. now considers facial images, fingerprints and other identifiers just as important to its mission of tracking suspected terrorists and other intelligence targets, the documents show.

Full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/us/nsa-collecting-millions-of-faces-from-web-images.html?_r=0

[Danke]

duh...

[DamianTV]

People who live in glass houses should change clothes in basement. And the world is becoming one massive glass house.

[moostraks]

Neither federal privacy laws nor the nation’s surveillance laws provide specific protections for facial images. hmm???seems as though if a private citizen did this it would be considered stalking?

[HOLLYWOOD]

It's not just collecting webpages of faces, eg, Facebook, DMVs, Media, Video, Match.com, Google Glass, etc.... being successful at both matching a face/person via spy satellites e.g.(Advanced Misty, et al) to drone imagery surveillance depositories. Big Brother has perfected coalescing different imagery on the same subject, matching from far different sources, of far different qualities, from far different mediums(thermal, RF/ASAR, gigapixel, live feeds)every type of imagery gathering and source.


This means, it's only a matter of time, TPTB's Marxist New World Obedience, will have every person, dead or alive located and tracked on demand. Add the "Pre-Crime" and NDAA bullshit and 1984 is 100% implemented.


You Tax Dollars or Taxing Debt at Work...


PS: General Michael Hayden is a fucking Nazi-Stasi Fascist, but don't trust any of them!

[francisco]

It's not just collecting webpages of faces, eg, Facebook, DMVs, Media, Video, Match.com, Google Glass, etc.... being successful at both matching a face/person via spy satellites e.g.(Advanced Misty, et al) to drone imagery surveillance depositories. Big Brother has perfected coalescing different imagery on the same subject, matching from far different sources, of far different qualities, from far different mediums... (emphasis mine)

Including the well-known and pervasive use of license plate-reading technology now used by the cops. In many jurisdictions, as the cops cruise the roads their license plate-reading devices are always on, reading every plate encountered and comparing them to databases. Allegedly this is to find stolen cars, people wanted on warrants, etc.

Oh, never mind, I forgot: If I haven't done anything wrong, what do I have to worry about? :rolleyes:


...This means, it's only a matter of time, TPTB's Marxist New World Order, will have every person, dead or alive located and tracked on demand. Add the "Pre-Crime" and NDAA bullshit and 1984 is 100% implemented...

[Tod]

wouldn't it be a WHOLE LOT easier to just collect everyone's driver's license or state id or passport or mug shot photos? That would get almost everyone age 16 and up.....

[kcchiefs6465]

wouldn't it be a WHOLE LOT easier to just collect everyone's driver's license or state id or passport or mug shot photos? That would get almost everyone age 16 and up.....
At most, 150 million. Not to mention the pictures aren't updated regularly.

Facebook has what, a billion users? (I don't remember the figure but it is pretty damn absurd)

Not that they don't have access to driver license pictures.

[Feeding the Abscess]

The solution to this problem:

http://southpark.wikia.com/wiki/How_to_Eat_with_Your_Butt


It's school picture day and Kenny McCormick has decided to pull a prank. He went into his coat upside-down so his butt would show instead of his face.

[Anti Federalist]

At most, 150 million. Not to mention the pictures aren't updated regularly.

Facebook has what, a billion users? (I don't remember the figure but it is pretty damn absurd)

Not that they don't have access to driver license pictures.

That.

Updated regularly, most recent with backgrounds and locations.

And in the first world, the only hold outs from the FarceBook follies are Luddites and lunatic fringers like me.

[CPUd]

At most, 150 million. Not to mention the pictures aren't updated regularly.

Facebook has what, a billion users? (I don't remember the figure but it is pretty damn absurd)

Not that they don't have access to driver license pictures.

Those aren't Facebook users, they are user accounts.

[kcchiefs6465]

Those aren't Facebook users, they are user accounts.
Sure.

We'll say 90% are fake, bots, scams, what have you. That's still a hundred million people.

What about Myspace, Twitter, Google Plus, Linkedin, etc.

Needless to say the information gathered on social networking sites is a treasure trove of data that the NSA exploits.

[Brian4Liberty]

NSA Compiling Secret, Massive Database for Facial-Recognition Program. Relax, It's for Terrorists Only! (http://reason.com/blog/2014/06/02/nsa-compiling-massive-database-for-facia)

[VIDEODROME]

Is the NSA just doing a Google Image search for "Facial" ? i wonder what kinds of image results their building up.

[DamianTV]

hmm???seems as though if a private citizen did this it would be considered stalking?

How does one go about getting a Restraining Order for EVERYONE in Govt?

---


The solution to this problem:

http://southpark.wikia.com/wiki/How_to_Eat_with_Your_Butt


It's school picture day and Kenny McCormick has decided to pull a prank. He went into his coat upside-down so his butt would show instead of his face.

No problem. Digital Ass Recognition instead of Face Recognition.

[pcosmar]

I knew of the dangers of the internet years before ever getting a computer,, and got one with that knowledge.

I have a record and files,, and my DNA is already on file.. All of my information,,including my Tattoos was already there.

I use my real name and am not hiding.. If and when things change,, I will not be online,,and my face will not be seen until my corpse is identified.
At that point I will no longer care.