[liberationtech] Special sunglasses, license-plate dresses: How to be anonymous in the age of surveillance

[Yosem Companys]

Recent iterations of Reflectacles thwart some forms of 3D facial-recognition
technology from identifying matches within a database, through special lenses
that block infrared lights used to map people’s faces, said the glasses’
designer, Scott Urban. The lenses of normal sunglasses become clear under any
form of infrared light, but the special wavelength absorbers baked into Urban’s
glasses soak up the light and turn them black. Reflectacles’ absorbent quality
makes them effective at blocking Face ID on the newest iPhones. While Urban said
the glasses aren’t designed to evade facial recognition that doesn’t use
infrared light, they will lessen the chance of a positive match in such systems.
He believes there’s an appetite for discreet gear that maintains people’s
anonymity, as shown by his Kickstarter campaign, backed by 311 people who
pledged $41,315 after it launched in July.
Other forms of anti-surveillance camouflage include elaborate face paint that
foils computer vision, such as the patterns designed by artist Adam Harvey. The
characteristic black and white face paint worn by Juggalos, the die-hard fans of
hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse, can also block some facial-recognition systems.
Designer Leo Selvaggio sacrificed his own identity for the sake of obscuring
others’ by creating a mask from a 3D scan of his face. L.A.-based cybersecurity
analyst Kate Rose created her own fashion line called Adversarial Fashion to
obfuscate automatic license-plate readers. A clothes maker on the side, she
imprinted stock images of out-of-use and fake license plates onto fabric to
create shirts and dresses. When the wearers walk past the AI systems at traffic
stops, the machines read the images on the clothes as plates, in turn feeding
junk data into the technology.
Special sunglasses, license-plate dresses: How to be anonymous in the age of
surveillance A fringe movement of privacy advocates are experimenting with
clothes, makeup and accessories as a defense against some surveillance
technologies. seattletimes.com  
Reflectacles — REFLECTACLES: IRpair, Phantom & Ghost IRpair, Phantom & Ghost
block 3D infrared facial mapping during both day & night. reflectacles.com
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