Army Tracking Plan- Drones That Never Forget a Face

8/12/2019 Army Tracking Plan- Drones That Never Forget a Face

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Army Tracking Plan: Drones That Never Forget a Face

Perhaps the idea of spy drones already makes your nervous. Maybe youre uncomfortablewith the notion of an unblinking, robotic eye in the sky that can watch your every move. If so,you may want to click away now. Because if the Army has its way, drones wont ust be able tolook at what you do. !heyll be able to recogni"e your face # and track you, based on howyou look. If the military machines assemble enough information, they might ust be able topeer into your heart.

!he Pentagon has tried all sort of tricks to keep tabs on its foes as they move around$ tinytransmitters, lingering scents, even %human thermal fingerprints.& !he military calls the effort%!agging, !racking, and 'ocating,& or %!!'.& And, as the strategy in places like Afghanistanhas shifted from rebuilding societies to taking out individual insurgents, !!' has becomeincreasingly central to the American effort. (undreds of millions of dollars have been devotedto it.

!he current technologies have their limits, however. !ransmitters can be discovered, anddiscarded. )cents eventually waft away. *ven the tagged can get lost in a crowd.

But there are some things that cant be so easily discarded. 'ike the shape of your face. +rthe feelings you keep inside. !hats why the Army ust handed out a halfdo"en contractsto

firms to find faces from above, track targets, and even spot %adversarial intent.&%If this works out, well have the ability to track people persistently across wide areas,& says!im -altemier, the lead biometrics researcher at Progeny )ystems orporation, whichrecently won one of the Army contracts. %A guy can go under a bridge or inside a house. Butwhen he comes out, well know it was the same guy that went in.&

Progeny ust started work on their dronemounted, %'ong /ange, 0oncooperative, Biometric!agging, !racking and 'ocation& system.

1/' )ource$ http$22www.wired.com2gangerroom234552462dronesneverforgetaface2
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/blackbird-tracking-tech/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/blackbird-tracking-tech/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/crazy-military-tracking-tech/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/crazy-military-tracking-tech/?pid=430http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07/commando-killed-taliban-so/http://www.dodsbir.net/selections/abs2011-1/armyabs111.htmhttp://www.progeny.net/http://www.wired.com/gangerroom/2011/09/drones-never-forget-a-face/http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/dangerroom/2011/09/progeny_1.jpghttp://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/crazy-military-tracking-tech/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/crazy-military-tracking-tech/?pid=430http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07/commando-killed-taliban-so/http://www.dodsbir.net/selections/abs2011-1/armyabs111.htmhttp://www.progeny.net/http://www.wired.com/gangerroom/2011/09/drones-never-forget-a-face/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/blackbird-tracking-tech/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/blackbird-tracking-tech/


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Congress report warns: drones will track faces from thesky

I am the eye in the sky, looking at you

By /ichard hirgwin7 8et more from this author

Posted in )ecurity, 59th )eptember 3453 44$4: 8M!-ree whitepaper ; (ands on with (yper< 9.4 and virtual machine movement

=ith the -AA working on rules to integrate drones into airspace safety by 345>, the 1)governments ongressional /esearch )ervice has warned of gaps in how American courtsmight treat the use of drones.

!he snappilyheadlined report, Drones in Domestic Surveillance Operations: FourthAmendment Implications and Legislative Responses?P@- here, notes drones now in usecan carry thermal imaging, highpowered cameras, license plate readers and 'I@A/ ?lightdetection and ranging. %)oft& biometrics and facial recognition wont be far behind, the reportsuggests, allowing drones to %recogni"e and track individuals based on attributes such as

height, age, gender, and skin color.&

%!he relative sophistication of drones contrasted with traditional surveillance technology mayinfluence a courts decision whether domestic drone use is lawful under the -ourth

Amendment,& the report compiled by legislative attorney /ichard !hompson II states.

!he report epresses a view that in most cases, using drones to spy on people in their homeswould have to fall within the legal %plain view& doctrine ?which means police can only carry outsurveillance of someones home from a %lawful vantage point&. (owever, areas nearby thehome ; say, in a driveway or at a gate ; receive a much more ambiguous protection.

!he report is also concerned that the falling cost of drones could, in itself, eacerbate privacyconcerns, noting that$ %access to inepensive technology may significantly reduce budgetaryconcerns that once checked the government from widespread surveillance.&

!he ongressional research report comes hard on the heels of a Panopticonstyle -BI proectbecame public. !he -eds billiondollar facial recognition %0et 8eneration Identification&proect, described herein New Scientist.

oncerns about citi"ens being %droned& into a Panopticon arent confined to America.-ollowing stories in the Sydney Morning eraldabout the increasing adoption of unlicensedprivate drones in Australia, the nationCs Privacy ommissioner !im Pilgrim has called forpublic debate about the technology, since the use of a drone by individuals %in their private&capacity is not covered by Australias Privacy Act.

1/' )ource$ http$22www.theregister.co.uk234532592congressDwarnsDonDdrones2

%)oft& biometrics and !acial recognitionwonCt be far behind, the report suggests, allowing dronesto %recogni"eand track individuals based on E

FDronescan easily be eGuipped with !acial recognitioncameras, infrared cameras or open =i-i sniffers,F

http$22www.fas.org2sgp2crs2natsec2/H345.pdf
http://forms.theregister.co.uk/mail_author/?story_url=/2012/09/13/congress_warns_on_drones/http://search.theregister.co.uk/?author=Richard%20Chirgwinhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/security/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/13/http://go.theregister.com/tl/798/-2750/-?td=wptl798http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42701.pdfhttp://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528804.200-fbi-launches-1-billion-face-recognition-project.htmlhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/13/congress_warns_on_drones/http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42701.pdfhttp://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42701.pdfhttp://forms.theregister.co.uk/mail_author/?story_url=/2012/09/13/congress_warns_on_drones/http://search.theregister.co.uk/?author=Richard%20Chirgwinhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/security/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/13/http://go.theregister.com/tl/798/-2750/-?td=wptl798http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42701.pdfhttp://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528804.200-fbi-launches-1-billion-face-recognition-project.htmlhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/13/congress_warns_on_drones/


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Militarytype drones with face recognition soon in 0J

0ew Jork$ 0ew Jork ity mayor Michael Bloomberg has said that militarystyle drones willsoon be patrolling the skies above the city, adding that facerecognition software will also

monitor each and every move of the deni"ens in the style of 3443 !om ruise starrer Minority/eport.

Putting the timeframe for an allseeing society at about five years with cameras situated atevery place, Bloomberg said that the city is going to have more visibility although theresidents have to pay for an increase in security with a lack of privacy.

Bloomberg further said that technicians are also working on building face recognition softwarefor the cityCs residents.

Adding that drones are necessary to stop suspected attacks on the city, the mayor said that it

makes no difference if a drone is spying from air or from the top of a building.

!he mayor warned people to get ready to be automatically spied upon CBig BrotherC style,adding that in the instances of robberies or murders in a neighbourhood, the police firstchecks the security cameras before embarking on an investigation.

!he mayor also approved of speed cameras to motorist from going too fast on city streets.Minority /eport, set primarily in =ashington, @, and 0orthern H,shows a speciali"ed police department called Prerime that apprehends criminals based onforeknowledge, along with a face recognition software, provided by three psychics calledprecogs.

1/' )ource$ http$22"eenews.india.com2news2world2militarytypedroneswithfacerecognitionsooninnycD:9946.html
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/military-type-drones-with-face-recognition-soon-in-nyc_837309.htmlhttp://zeenews.india.com/news/world/military-type-drones-with-face-recognition-soon-in-nyc_837309.htmlhttp://zeenews.india.com/news/world/military-type-drones-with-face-recognition-soon-in-nyc_837309.htmlhttp://zeenews.india.com/news/world/military-type-drones-with-face-recognition-soon-in-nyc_837309.html


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)enators fear drones Cbu""ing overhead

Senators expressed concern on =ednesday that without proper restrictions, police and private groups coulduse drones to invade the privacy of people in the 1nited )tates.

@rones are cheaper to build and fly than helicopters, making them a costeffective option for police departmentslooking to gain a birdCs eye view of a scene. ommercial drones are currently illegal, but the -ederal Aviation

Administration ?-AA is working on rules to grant licenses to private groups by 345>.

!he -AA has predicted that by the end of the decade, 94,444 commercial and government drones could be flyingin 1.). skies.

!hatCs a frightening prospect for lawmakers who fear the drone fleet will be used to peer into peopleCs privatelives.

F=hile there may be many valuable uses for this new technology, the use of unmanned aircraft raises seriousconcerns about the impact on the constitutional and privacy rights of American citi"ens,F )enate Kudiciaryommittee hairman Patrick 'eahy ?@


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Army Tracking Plan- Drones That Never Forget a Face

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