The start of facial biometric recognition in Australia

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl…

https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/tech/2020/09/30/centrelink-f…

Wow, just read this:

"People will also be able to use facial recognition to lodge bankruptcy applications, register drones, enrol to vote and apply for welfare payments"

While concerning for some people, and unfair for those who lost their job, but does this concern you, and if not why?

will this mean Australia will have a commonwealth facial ID system rolling out very soon, (isn't it a little early to roll this type of thing out?)wow.

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ Facial recognition to vote.

Comments

  • +3

    This… already exists in Australia. Facial recognition CCTV cameras everywhere esp CBD/public transport.

    • +3

      But they are used for tracking you. What the OP is describing is having to use biometrics in order to go about our day to day business.

    • +1

      Actually no - this technology isn't in public transport or generic city wide CCTV cameras.

      The police do have access to it, but they don't have direct access to the cameras.

      NSW police set up temporary cameras with this technology during big events (i.e Vivid Sydney) but they do not have it running nonstop.

  • +1

    Maybe I should call it the start of commonwealth facial Id biometric system, seems facial recognition means different things.

    • +1

      What about the Smart Gates at the Airport? They've been taking our photos for years?

  • +2

    Yeah I don't think we'll be using facial recognition to vote any time soon … We still use paper electoral rolls to mark off voters …

    • +2

      There's good reason for the voting mechanisms we use today.

      • paper ballots are accounted for (counted)
      • electors are accounted for (marked off roll)
      • the system is monitored at all times by both staff and scrutineers

      Tom Scott did a good video on Why Electronic Voting is a BAD Idea (and a more recent follow up video).

      Long story short - the paper system we use today, while seeming antiquated, is VERY secure. To defraud an election would require a conspiracy so large that it would likely be uncovered or member/s of said conspiracy would squeal (couldn't think of a better word). The place our paper system would fall down due to a conspiracy would be the authoritative powers and/or the public being unwilling/unable to do anything about said fraud/conspiracy.

      Some issues with any electronic system (as outlined in the videos above):

      • can you trust the program and it's programmer/s?
      • is the program that is running the program you think it is?
      • is the program running correctly?

      With that last point - how do you know? Do you print some sort of verification/s? At what stage/s? If you are printing enough verifications to satisfy everyone, why not just use the paper system?

  • +1

    Doesn't concern me, we already have this tech in major cities, and it's been implemented in a lot of places around the world without many issues either. People will get up in arms about it breaching privacy, without realizing that their privacy has been dead for at least a decade.

    May as well enjoy the fruits of a post-privacy world at this point, not like we have much choice.

  • The reason SARS-CoV-2 was released into the community was to ensure face masks are worn by everyone to render facial recognition useless.

    • +1

      Yeah, I'm not seeing who profits from that. Can you explain?

      • +1

        Obviously Bill Gates, George Soros and the Rothschilds…;)

        • How do those people profit from facial recognition being rendered useless?

      • Companies like Hanwang can license out their tech for bucks.

        • @Meho, is that what you're saying? That companies like Hanwang, who apparently have technology that is able to recognise masked faces, are able to make bucks out of everyone having to wear face masks, so they're behind the pandemic?

  • +2

    It'd save the government billions a year if he had facial recognition and AI to manage it all. No need for Centrelink, the AI will just look at us and place us in our best jobs. No need for politicians anymore either, we'll just vote on which software developers win the contract to handle the AI every three years.

    • Software developers aren't the smartest bunch either. What happens when the system does an Office 365 outage for half a day? Who is going to provide all the soft beds and fluffy pillows for us all to chill out.

  • +2

    I love the fact the smart phones got into facial recognition just as the world started wearing masks.

  • I don't have a problem with this, it's the way of the future.

    There was a time when people were resistant to electricity.

  • +1

    If you leave your tin foil hat on I believe the facial recognition software fails 78% of the time.

    • Open Google Photos on your phone and see if you still agree with that.

    • That's a coincidence - apparently 78% of statistics are made up!

      More seriously, I've been involved with testing some consumer-level facial recognition technology (for time and attendance purposes), and we were able to successfully register a colour laser printout of a face, then use that printout to clock in and out. We used actress Emily Blunt's face - she was the first person I thought of when I had the idea, and being famous, it was easy to find photos of her on the net.

  • +1

    If you are out in public, you have been recorded and monitored and tracked and behaviour analysed and data mined - there is no privacy in public anymore.

    Using biometrics to do business, how is that any different to supplying a licence or phone number or a couple of security questions?

    • +1

      No need to go out.

      You been on the internet?
      Metadata harvested.

      Own a phone?
      Location triangulated.

      How about a Google, Alexa or Apple device?
      Might as well just let the Gestapo sit next to you all day.

  • +4

    I'm working in this industry. It's hugely concerning and this is the tip of the ice-berg.

    I am afraid that the horse has bolted though. I find it incredibly depressing.

  • Anything that contributes to making Australia a safer place is fine with me…most Aussies have got nothing to hide

    • +1

      You probably don't have curtains, as you claim you have nothing to hide.

      • +1

        I mean there's a huge difference between your neighbors knowing what you do, and a government AI knowing what you do.

        Most people are A-OK with google reading their emails using an AI, but would be mortified if their mum did.

      • +4

        For a long time we didn't have curtains on our bedroom. But our, direct, neighbours couldn't see and the people further away just saw a little pink blob. (Somewhat of an apt description, unfortunately). Now days we mainly just use "sheers", unless we are trying to ameliorate the weather.

        Frankly, I don't care. When you get to nearly 60, and have had as many pap smears and mammograms as I have, there isn't a lot of "dignity" left. The sheers are, mainly, to protect the sensibilities of the viewer rather than the viewed.

        • +1

          "When you get to nearly 60, and have had as many pap smears and mammograms as I have, there isn't a lot of "dignity" left. The sheers are, mainly, to protect the sensibilities of the viewer rather than the viewed."

          Literally laughing out loud!

    • +1

      below.

    • +1

      "Anything"

      George Orwell has about 88,942 words for you.

  • +1

    I think the aim is to use it as a better way of proving your identity online rather than using Name / DOB / Passport Number / Drivers License when engaging in government services (and not just Federal Government Services, but it could be something that State / Local Governments can use) and doing anything that requires you prove your identity (eg. Opening a bank account, mobile phone etc.)

    • +1

      Yes and this isn’t something new, Digital ID by AusPost requires you to scan your passport and then tilt your head side to side to verify using facial recognition. Vodafone also has a system in place similar to this.

  • +1

    The right to not being constantly surveilled is a right under the UDHR. Some people may not care about the government tracking their every move, but the majority of Australians wouldn't want Peter Dutton to show up every time they step outside their homes and then follow them around all day.

  • The Libs bought it in & you lot voted the Libs in
    So you got this & the NBN from the Libs
    Didn't you read the internet privacy bill a few years ago?
    Labor tried to stop it but didn't have the numbers so in the end they thought they were going to win the election
    and change the laws that the Libs made, so they voted with the Libs; but the Libs won didn't they
    I VOTED LABOR The Libs went on to do more stuff you don't want to know, your rights are gone
    Why do you think there are protests, so we can get back our freedom!

    • +1

      There are no good guys here.

      • It seems like it, just whingers and attachers

  • +1

    Peter Dutton's wet dream to cancel welfare payments to anyone attending protests.

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