facial recognition
St. Louis Area Police Could Soon Use Facial Recognition Software
High-tech crime fighting equipment is coming to the St. Louis area. Facial recognition computer equipment will be available to law enforcement departments on both sides of the river. An arm of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments manages Homeland Security grants and is requesting bids from vendors for the equipment and software. While it’s generally […]
The Future Of Facial Recognition: Big Brother Or Our New Best Friend?
For better or worse, facial recognition has become the technological elephant in the room. It’s there, but nobody really likes to talk about it too much. Despite the continued advancements of software and algorithms that would elicit gasps of awe in some of the other tech sectors, the ever-improving ability for machines to put a […]
Facial Recognition Now 97% Accurate
Facebook’s new facial recognition project claims to match faces with 97.25 per cent accuracy. After three solid days of networking, presentations, and deal-making for the biometrics and identification community, the inaugural Connect:ID conference many biometric milestones where celebrated. Almost two years ago, Facebook bought Face.com, an Israeli start-up that specialised in face-recognition software. Given the […]
Seattle Police Win Approval To Use Facial Recognition software
Seattle Police just won approval to use facial recognition software Seattle police just won approval to use facial recognition software. But privacy advocates say that endangers the privacy of every Seattle citizen. Critics fear sophisticated software that can capture images of people on the move, then use a vast database to instantly identify them. Seattle police have a more modest plan — comparing mug shots to surveillance video, using technology paid for by the federal Department of Homeland Security. “It could not be used to ID citizens who are not either actively involved in a criminal process or that the officer did not reasonably suspect was involved in criminal activity,” said city councilmember Sally Bagshaw. But in the face of controversies over the police access to surveillance cameras, and the special Wi-Fi network they also got a federal grant to install. So privacy advocates are skeptical. “As we’ve learned the NSA and the FBI will gain access to any hardware that you install whether you want to or not,” said Lee Colton. Supporters say using facial recognition software simple automates what police now do by hand. But critics say that automation is the problem. “It vastly increases the amount of pursuing individuals who may be not quite so suspicious, not quite such clear suspects who are really less valuable leads for them and yet now they have time to do that,” said David Robinson of the Seattle Privacy Coalition. Public Safety Chair Bruce Harrell tailored the program to win […]
Source www.kirotv.com
Chui Home Facial Recognition Software
March 7, 2014 Leave a comment “Michelle is the Social Media & Client Coordinator with a passion for communication and the media. Having recently graduated with a degree in Mass Media, and a dream of one day becoming a broadcaster, Michelle brings a fresh take on all things news – technology, politics, and yes, even sports. Her love for people makes the job something she loves, which is obvious in all that she does for the studio.” When I was in college, there wasn’t a peep hole to see who was outside my door. So I would blindly answer the door, not knowing who it was going to be. And as a 4’11 girl, it was intimidating and kind of scary to open my door to whoever. I wish that I had Chui was when I was in college. Chui is facial recognition software that allows people to come in and out of the house. Basically, Chui is a super smart doorbell. The doorbell recognizes who’s ringing your doorbell and sends a notification straight to your phone or tablet. Then you can respond with audio, live video feed, or an action to unlock your door. So you can be thousands of miles away from your home, and you can open the door for your next door neighbor who needs to borrow a cup of sugar. This is something that I could’ve really used at school. Heck, it’s something that I could use now! If you want to learn more […]
Source newswatchblog.com
Japan Civic Group Says Facial Recognition Project At Osaka Station A Violation Of Privacy
Mar 06, 2014 Ida Torres National 0 Civic group says facial recognition project at Osaka station a violation of privacy A civic group has requested that the planned two-year research project at the Osaka Station featuring facial recognition software be stopped as it violates the right to privacy of the public. The project is an initiative of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology and is supposed to improve the evacuation process by studying people’s movements and behavior at the train station. One of the members of the group is Yasuhiko Tajima, a law professor at Sophia University. He says that their aim is to stop Japan from becoming a “surveillance society” and for this issue, they’ve already written to the institute as well as to the West Japan Railway Co , the operator of the train station. During the press conference, he stated that this project will violate the Constitution’s guarantee to the right to privacy . “Indiscriminate videotaping in a public place itself is a problem,” he said. The project is supposed to start next month and the 90 cameras have already been installed around Osaka Station City, including the train station itself as well as the commercial complex adjacent to it. The institute has guaranteed that they will make sure that when they process the video, individuals will not be identified and their privacy will be protected. They will also be forming a third-party committee and get outside consultants to help them conduct the project. […]
Source japandailypress.com
Tokyo?s Metropolitan Police, 4 Other Prefectures Deploy Facial Recognition Systems
Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police, 4 other prefectures deploy facial recognition systems Mar 03, 2014 John Hofilena National , Tech & Science 1 Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police, 4 other prefectures deploy facial recognition systems The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of Tokyo and police forces from four other prefectures have now deployed a facial recognition system where a high-definition video camera can instantly recognize any particular person in a crowd, this according to media reports. In the age of high-definition video, it is admittedly easier to spot faces in a crowd, and this particular system has been adopted for use in anti-organized crime investigations. The main problem is that there is no clear-cut mechanism for monitoring the new system’s use, and the Japanese public fear that it can be used by the police to infringe on private citizens’ privacy. The new equipment for the police is called a mobile facial image detection and verification system, and it uses a notebook computer loaded with a database of faces. Pictures taken by the high-definition video camera are cross-checked by the software with images in the database. The system is programmed to alert the operator if a face matches a database image. According to the specifications of the system that was made public through a freedom-of-information request, the software is capable of simultaneously processing the faces of more than 10 people, detecting even those with dark eyewear or masks. The software is able to crosscheck at least 100,000 cases in a second. Most of all, the […]
Source japandailypress.com
FirstNet: America’s New Surveillance Network
FirstNet: America’s new surveillance network raises grave privacy concerns While the system has already been tested in a handful of states, and 2014 will likely see it rolled out further. According to a series of presentation slides from December last year, FirstNet will be the “MOST secure wireless network ever built,” sitting entirely separate from the commercially run networks that everyone, including first responders, uses today. This will give FirstNet greater reliability in situations where networks come under extreme pressure, such as when tens of thousands of people contact loved ones during a terrorist attack or natural disaster. It makes sense to have a dedicated network just for first responders during these sorts of events. Thanks to the network being based on the super-fast 4G protocol, it will also allow for a new wave of novel technology. One application is that after ‘tagging’ a disaster victim with a small device, patients’ vital signs can be monitored from a control centre, allowing medical staff to keep an eye on who needs treatment the most at any one time. But FirstNet will also give local law enforcement the ability to take digital “fingerprints from the field,” record and share highquality video, and instantaneously marry these freshly sourced data with others over the network. In the video above, a demonstrator uses facial recognition software on a tablet; finds out if the target is in a linked database, and is immediately provided with a wealth of information on him. Of course, having a […]
Source voiceofrussia.com
Israeli-Based Biometric Security Company, FST21, Opens U.S. Office In 7 World Trade Center
views the best pictures NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — FST21, the leading biometric security company that uses a fusion of biometric and analytic technologies, announced today the opening of the company’s first New York City-based office. The location, at 7 World Trade Center, establishes FST21’s presence in the financial epicenter of the city and highlights the importance of convenient security in the area, while also furthering the company’s investment in the U.S. market. FST21’s new office features a fully operational installment of the company’s biometric security system, including the patented SafeRise In Motion Identification® technology. The security system seamlessly incorporates both biometric and analytic technology developed by the company, allowing for facial recognition, behavior analysis, voice recognition, and more. "As we continue to expand our business, we are excited to open our office in the heart of New York’s business center," says Major-General Aharon Zeevi Farkash, Founder and CEO, FST21. "Over the past year we have furthered our technology development of biometric security to reach over a 99% positive identification rate. The location further establishes our commitment to the U.S. market, while also showcasing our innovative technology in a city plagued by daily security struggles."The New York City office is the second location in the U.S. for FST21, which also has an office in Sayreville, NJ. The company has already implemented its SafeRise technology within various locations in the New York City area, particularly the famous Knickerbocker Building and the Taino Towers.The company was founded by Major-General […]
Source biometrics207.blogspot.com
Washington State Moves To Outlaw All Photography From “Drones” Even In Public Places
http://www.king5.com/news/politics/C…247311131.html Two drone bills passed the House Wednesday morning and were making their way through the Senate in Olympia. One bill sets rules on how state government can deploy drones; the other bill aims to protect citizens
US Customs Consider Using Facial Recognition, Other Biometrics At US-Mexico Border
San Ysidro Border Crossing Customs and Border Protection is considering using biometric technology like facial recognition software on travelers leaving the United States by land. Last week, the agency put out a request for information on how biometrics might help accurately identify people leaving the U.S. The agency expressed interest in facial recognition, iris scanning and fingerprint reading. "Biometrics are the ultimate in identity," CBP executive director Colleen Manaher said. Biometrics are used already on some visitors coming into the U.S. Manaher believes recent advancements in biometrics could soon spot people overstaying their visas, for instance. "Right now, the biometric solutions of iris-on-the-move and face recognition are high contenders," she said. "But right now we’re only in the research phase." The agency has not begun the process of contracting with biometric companies. And it’s still too early to say exactly how this technology would be used at border crossings like San Ysidro or Otay Mesa. Officials say biometrics would not be focused on U.S. citizens and would adhere to strict privacy standards.
Source www.kpbs.org
Seattle Considering $1.6 Million Facial Recognition Surveillance System
Seattle considering $1.6 million facial recognition surveillance system In Seattle, Washington, the City Council will soon decide on whether or not they should approve an ordinance that green-lights a $1.6 million federal grant, a large chunk of which will be used to purchase sophisticated facial recognition software that supporters of the measure say would help stop crime. Those Department of Homeland Security dollars would let the Seattle police pay for software that digitally scans surveillance camera footage and then tries to match images of the individuals caught on tape with any one of the 350,000-or-so people who have been photographed previously by King County, Washington law enforcement. “An officer has to reasonably believe that a person has been involved in a crime or committed a crime” before they begin to use the program, Assistant Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best told KIRO-TV this week Once the facial recognition software is initiated, though, it scours a collection containing close to a half-a-million area residents — including many who may never have been convicted of a crime. That database, members of the local Seattle Privacy anti-surveillance collective say, is composed of more than just the mug shots of convicted criminals. Images of anyone ever arrested and booked are included in that system, regardless of whether or not they were ever ultimately convicted of a crime. And according to a recent post on the Seattle Privacy website attributed to founding member Jan Bultmann, there has already been mention of perhaps someday including the […]
Source www.scenereleases.eu
State Of The Video Analytics Market ? 2014
As more organizations realize the intrinsic value of video in a physical security system, getting more value out of that video is becoming increasingly important. And those same organizations are learning of more affordable ways to record and store surveillance video with much longer retention times. Therefore, the number of video analytic installations is significantly […]
Seattle PD Is Matching Mug Shots With High Tech
City Councilman Bruce Harrell, during an interview with Crosscut writers and editors The Seattle Police Department has drafted a new policy to guide the use of facial recognition software. The department, which came under criticism over earlier efforts to introduce new surveillance technologies, took steps to get outside advice during the development of the policy on facial recognition software. The software would allow police to check images of suspects against a database with 350,000 mug shots from King County. Photos in the database would be of people who’ve been arrested, fingerprinted and booked in jail. The department would purchase the “booking photo comparison software” with pending funds from a Department of Homeland Security grant. While the technology might give pause to some privacy advocates, the American Civil Liberties Union has backed the policy because it narrowly limits the department’s use of the computer system and sets clear rules for oversight. Under the policy, the department can only use the software to identify “a person whom an officer reasonably suspects may be involved in criminal activity.” This means that cops cannot use the technology to identify witnesses, victims or other crime scene bystanders. The department is also not allowed to connect the database to “live” surveillance feeds, including the city’s currently offline “mesh network.” “It would be a great way to expedite some searching we’re already doing,” Assistant Chief Carmen Best told a City Council committee on Wednesday. “This only allows us to do it much more quickly and much more […]
Source crosscut.com
San Diego Police Department Starts Using Facial Recognition Software
San Diego, California News Station – KFMB Channel 8 – cbs8.com SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CBS 8) — More than two dozen San Diego county law enforcement agencies have started testing facial recognition technology used to help identify people in the field. Currently, the software allows officers to compare any photo of your face to a database of local mug shots. But there are concerns about what may happen next. Patrol cop Robert Halverson is one of seven officers in the Chula Vista Police Department who carries a tablet computer loaded with the facial recognition software, made by FaceFirst, LLC. "This only taps into the county booking photos," Officer Halverson said while demonstrating the software to CBS News 8. "This is just an investigation tool. It’s only scanning against that one database to compare faces," he said. Twenty-five local agencies currently are testing about 180 of the devices, paid for with a Homeland Security grant under a $475,000 annual contract with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The devices and software allow officers to snap a photo of a person in the field and compare that image to mug shots already on file. "I think a policeman doesn’t like it when someone gets away with not being held accountable, like say, they give you a bogus name and you weren’t able to catch it," said Officer Halverson. Right now, the software ties into the county’s criminal mug shot database of about 1.4 million images. But privacy advocates says it’s […]
Source www.blueheronblast.com
North America Leads World Government Biometric Systems Market
TD The Market Publishers Ltd London, UK (PRWEB) January 23, 2014 The worldwide market for government biometric systems is poised to be on an upward trend through to 2024. Currently, North America ranks as the leading regional market, driven primarily by the constantly rising demand for fingerprint recognition systems in the USA. The expenditures on government biometric systems in APAC are anticipated to witness substantial growth through 2024. Meantime, other emerging markets like Africa and Latin America are also anticipated to see positive growth in the upcoming decade. The spending on biometrics systems in the European countries is likely to be propelled by the increasing demand for national ID programs and e-passports. Biometric fingerprint identification and facial recognition segments are expected to call for the dominant market shares of the overall government biometric systems market in the next 10 years. The retinal/iris recognition segment is forecast to register a 5.79% CAGR through 2024. The major challenges being faced by the world government biometric systems market include, among others, the complexity and cost of implementation of such systems, as well as a strict control of access to databases keeping personal identification information. New research report “ The Global Government Biometric Systems Market 2014-2024 ” worked out by Strategic Defence Intelligence (SDI) has been recently published by Market Publishers Ltd. Report Details: Title: The Global Government Biometric Systems Market 2014-2024 Published: January, 2014 Pages: 173 Price: US$ 4,800.00 http://marketpublishers.com/report/industry/defence-security/global-government-biometric-systems-market-2014-2024.html An up-to-bottom view of the current situation in the worldwide market for […]
Source www.prweb.com
KeyLemon, SoftKinetic Launch New Facial Recognition System
keylemon logo January 21, 2014 – KeyLemon has launched a new wide-spectrum facial recognition system developed with SoftKinetic . According to the company, by analyzing incoming data using both visible light and infrared cameras in parallel, this innovative technology accurately identifies faces in most lighting conditions and is highly resistant to ID spoofing attacks using photos and videos. The key to the system’s tolerance of diverse lighting conditions comes from its use of both visible light and infrared imaging. 20 points of comparison are made for face matching. The system is also able to detect the difference between a live face, versus an image or video, as its ual-camera imaging system evaluates inputs for infrared heat signatures. “This technology gives users high security without headaches,” Gilles Florey, KeyLemon co-founder and CEO said. “Since our dual-camera face ID system operates continuously, in the background and without any interaction required, users forget it’s even there, protecting their data 24/7. And that’s always been a top priority for us. In our view, technology that gets out of your way is the best technology of all.” “Secure, fast and reliable face identification is an excellent use of 3D technology and our DepthSense camera,” Eric Krzeslo, chief marketing officer at SoftKinetic said. “By combining 3D and infrared (IR) data with face recognition technology, individuals and enterprises who require the highest level of security now have an excellent solution.” “The uses for this technology are nearly limitless, from consumer devices to enterprise, automotive, medical, online banking, […]
Source www.biometricupdate.com
Panasonic Launches Facial Recognition System WV-ASF900 Series
Source: Panasonic | Date: 12/25/2013 Related tags: Panasonic , Video Surveillance Panasonic , an international company of video surveillance cameras and solutions, announced the new release of the WV-ASF900 facial recognition system that runs on Microsoft Windows server with the Panasonic 3 series network cameras. WV-ASF900 adds the face matching, face searching, people counting and the age and gender statistics features to video surveillance systems. Adopting hybrid Intelligent Video architecture, WV-ASF900 provides a high performance and cost effective facial recognition system. The Panasonic 3 series network cameras clip the facial parts of the captured images and the WV-ASF900 identifies the person by comparing the clipped parts with pictures in databases. This hybrid architecture substantially reduces server and network overload. WV-ASF900 supports up to 20 cameras per server and matches 1,000 faces a second. It takes only 3 seconds to search for a person from 5 million faces on the WV-ASF900. The WV-ASF900 Facial Recognition Analytics Platform is useful for surveillance and business. It improves surveillance accuracy and effectiveness and also provides an innovative way to utilize the video information for business intelligence (BI) for better marketing effectiveness, store operations, building layout designs, traffic patterns and more.
Source www.asmag.com
Google Glass Face Recognition App Coming This Month, Whether Google Likes It Or Not
Screen Shot 2013-12-15 at 5.09.17 PM Since Google Glass first appeared, its potential for facial recognition has been seen either as a privacy nightmare or as one of the headset’s first truly intriguing uses. Google has declared itself in the first camp. Stephen Balaban is in the second, and he’s about to share his vision with Glassheads everywhere, whether Google likes it or not. At the Chaos Communications Congress hacker conference in Hamburg later this month, 24-year-old Balaban and his startup Lambda Labs plan to release an unauthorized app for Glass that allows users to collect and catalog images of faces seen through its lens, along with other recognizable objects ranging from computer screens to license plates. The app, which Balaban is calling FaceRec, will give Glass-wearers the ability to integrate that data with location coordinates to create a map of who or what the user saw when and where. And on Friday, Lambda Labs will also begin taking pre-orders for an Android-based, Glass-like device it’s calling the the Lambda Hat, a $255 camera-enabled cap designed to be even better suited for that always-on computer vision. “As you collect data over time, you can start to ask questions like, who was that person I talked to during the last month at the Rosewood?” Balaban says. “Give it a geolocation, and you can find all the pictures and timestamps at that location, and it will show you all the people you saw.” Lambda’s app, to be clear, isn’t meant for wide adoption even […]
Source www.forbes.com
Markets and Markets : Facial Recognition Market Worth $6.5 Billion By 2018
Contact Center Solutions Industry News [December 18, 2013] (M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Over the past few years, Facial Recognition Market has crossed the chasm and has become more accurate, less costly and significantly mainstream. This has helped the technology to gain traction and investment from commercial sector. The development of 3D face recognition technology backed by improved imaging solutions, middleware and fast analytics has helped the technology to overcome its traditional flaws such as poor results in low lights, pose variation and image reconstruction Browse 86 market data tables and 27 figures spread through 171 pages and in-depth TOC on "Facial Recognition Market [Emotion; Thermal; Mobile; Forensic; 2D; 3D; Cloud-based Facial Recognition]: Global Advancements, Emerging Applications, Business Models and Worldwide Market Forecasts and Analysis (2013 – 2018)". http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/facial-recognition-market-995.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this reports Enquiry Before Buying @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=995 The major forces driving the market are growth of surveillance market and huge spending by the government across the globe on biometric technologies. At the same time, various opportunities exist in consumer electronics segment, handheld devices segment and innovative cloud services based on face recognition technologies (anonymous face analysis). The report Facial Recognition Market: Global advancements, Emerging Applications, Business Models and Worldwide Market Forecast and Analysis (2013 – 2018) defines and segments the global facial recognition market with analysis and forecasting of the global revenues. It also identifies drivers and restraints for this market with insights on trends, opportunities, and challenges. MarketsandMarkets has segmented the […]
Source callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com