The Covid-19 pandemic was a time of deep loss. But technology boomed, vaccines were developed in record time, and a whole world had facemasks on. One of the biggest tech developments was the faceprint. In Australia, cameras were put up to scan kilometers in every direction, scanning faces and body builds of Australian citizens; this information was then used towards quarantining people who either tested positive for COVID or were contact traced.
Technology like this was introduced in 2020, yet Australia remains the only democratic country to use it. Other nations have backed away from such intense surveillance. In fact, many cities in the United States have started to ban it. San Francisco was the first US city to do so; it started setting up moratoriums against police use of facial recognition software in May 2019. Oakland quickly followed suit, along with Somerville in Massachusetts. In addition, many major companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM have deleted millions of faceprints in order to maintain the privacy of American citizens.
Human rights organizations have called for a moratorium on the software. Campaigners say that there is a risk of personal data breaches. In essence, there is a slippery slope between privacy infringement and the emergence of surveillance states.
This ingenious feat of technology has its downsides. In October, a 7-Eleven convenience store undermined its customers’ privacy when it was revealed that it collected 1.6 million faceprints during satisfaction surveys. They claimed to have it used to increase their ratings. They did so with no fine. Many find this act disturbing. The idea that their face could be used for secondary uses made many express their thoughts on social media, questioning the origin of why 7-Eleven is using this surveillance method.
On the other hand, this unique technology is being used across the world. Most prominently, it is being used in Ukraine, helping the government determine the identities of Russian Soldiers who have lost their lives in the brutal conflict. Their families are notified over social media.
Another example is in schools, where it is used to track visitors for the safety of the students and faculty. It also comes with object detection, so it can catch any concealed weapons.
Technology like this was introduced in 2020, yet Australia remains the only democratic country to use it. Other nations have backed away from such intense surveillance. In fact, many cities in the United States have started to ban it. San Francisco was the first US city to do so; it started setting up moratoriums against police use of facial recognition software in May 2019. Oakland quickly followed suit, along with Somerville in Massachusetts. In addition, many major companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM have deleted millions of faceprints in order to maintain the privacy of American citizens.
Human rights organizations have called for a moratorium on the software. Campaigners say that there is a risk of personal data breaches. In essence, there is a slippery slope between privacy infringement and the emergence of surveillance states.
This ingenious feat of technology has its downsides. In October, a 7-Eleven convenience store undermined its customers’ privacy when it was revealed that it collected 1.6 million faceprints during satisfaction surveys. They claimed to have it used to increase their ratings. They did so with no fine. Many find this act disturbing. The idea that their face could be used for secondary uses made many express their thoughts on social media, questioning the origin of why 7-Eleven is using this surveillance method.
On the other hand, this unique technology is being used across the world. Most prominently, it is being used in Ukraine, helping the government determine the identities of Russian Soldiers who have lost their lives in the brutal conflict. Their families are notified over social media.
Another example is in schools, where it is used to track visitors for the safety of the students and faculty. It also comes with object detection, so it can catch any concealed weapons.
