CATCH OF THE DAY: Where's Waldo?

PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA -- This one is especially clever. Here at Upside's Showcase I met with Moti Shniberg and Elliot Sussman, both of ImageID, a company that provides technology that can find photos of particular individuals or items. Each person (or item) wears a small circular sticker that looks like a disturbed pizza -- the wedges are all different colors. The color combination acts like a barcode, except it's readable in a photograph.

What most impressed me is how the company has identified a lucrative market for its product: the first beta customer is the Miami Seaquarium. Visitors wear ImageID stickers, and as they get photographed on rides or by roving photographers, their snaps go into an image library. Later, a park kiosk can identify people by their sticker, and then show (and sell) them their snaps (the park has tripled its sale of photos). Visitors also can buy the photos after they leave by visiting the park's Web site. ImageID takes a cut of the picture sales.

The company has $3.5 million and is raising another round of funding. The technology also can be used in inventory management, and I'm sure in several other businesses, but I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader.

-- (Where'sWaldo@not.here), January 28, 2000

Answers

Very interesting, yes. It of course was only a matter of time before this technology was used on humans, and I've no doubt it IS already being used in more secretive ways. The technology is similar to what is already being used in weather analysis, fingerprinting and retina identification, and some missile guidance systems. Basically the system is designed to capture image pixel algorithms, store them in memory, and be able to recall and match them to new patterns captured by camera.

Let's say for example law enforcement has captured the image of a wanted suspect, and stored it in their computers. Image data taken from store security cameras, or even the entire crowd at the Superbowl game could them be scanned, and the system would search for the exact same pattern of image characteristics. Identification of facial patterns is not yet likely to be an exact science, but the technology is improving, and they are no doubt getting very close.

Think about this every time you pass in front of a "security" camera. Your image is being stored for future reference, and Big Brother will soon be able to instantaneously recognize you everywhere you go, and be tracking your every move. Also makes you wonder about these new "traffic" monitoring cameras that law enforcement are starting to put up, that will eventually be operating on every major street corner. You're not paranoid if you suspect that your privacy is being invaded, because the fact is you no longer have any privacy. :-(

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), January 28, 2000.

Hawk, you are right!

But it is worse than you know. I sell security "solutions" and one of the new high dollar systems is facial recognition software.

They are claimed in excess of 96% accuracy auto recognizing a face in a crowd. Takes less than a half a second to digitize the facial features and do a database search.

These systems are not cheap, government agencies (the regular alphabet group) and big business are the eager customers.

Don't forget, with the low-light and infrared illuminator cameras, you are no longer "safe" at night.

http://www.visionics.com/

The above address is one of the software vendors of this technology. The good stuff (what dot gov buys) is somewhat more advanced.

Keep your head down......

-- tryntohelp (its here@right.now), January 28, 2000.

tryntohelp,

WOW - thanks for that info!

LOL - "keep your head down" !!

Just out of curiosity, if you don't mind me asking, do some of the clients buying these systems require that the names of their organizations be kept confidential or "classified"? At least you have the advantage of knowing who is using them! thanx again :-)

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), January 28, 2000.

I have not sold one of these systems, nor has my company made any sales presentations on one. I can tell you that keeping a closed mouth will earn a security company much more than listing "references" of the types of hardware various companies have purchased.

With that said, I can give you a very educated guess where these systems would likely find a home.

Border crossings. FBI, INS, Interpol, NSA, CIA

Major Post Office facilities, they seem to have problems with fired, disgruntled employees.

Major subway systems, same alphabet group as above. It seems the people these guys want to keep tabs on don't live in the sticks.

Capitol Hill, If you have visited lately, I'd be supprised if you aren't on file.

Airports and train stations, alphabet guys again.

Large corporate operations, especially the multinationals.

Large banks, "Smile so we have your facial signature for your account"

Driver's license offices, see banks.

And, just like everything else, the state and local police will want their own systems as soon as the "Big Boys" have theirs.

I like technology, but I don't like this. It is soon to be a national identification system.

........Keep your head down...

-- tryntohelp (itshere@right.now), January 28, 2000.

And don't forget the advances in camera technology. You can buy a pinhole camera, off-the-shelf stuff, that you literally won't see if you happen to be the "subject". These things are so small that they can easily be hidden in just about anything. Just 'cause you can't see a camera, doesn't mean it's not there........

-- Craig (sofpj@netscape.net), January 28, 2000.

So what's the concern here? Are you against the technology per se or just doing a heads-up on potential abuse. I bet we could think of as many good uses as bad uses. How about finding missing children; screening for known terrorists at the Super Bowl; etc, etc, etc?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), January 28, 2000.

Lars CLEARLY needs ta go back an read Orwell's "1984".

Night train, repressin the shivers, 'cause it ain't THAT cold in here

-- jes a tired ol footballer (nighttr@in.lane), January 28, 2000.

Lars -- Right "Save the children -- sob, sniff, snuffle -- barf". As far as terrorists, if your U.S. government would BUTT OUT of other people's (and countries') business, maybe there wouldn't be so many "enemies".

-- A (A@AisA.com), January 29, 2000.

"Right "Save the children -- sob, sniff, snuffle -- barf".

A - That's at least the second time you have exhibited your lack of compassion for innocent children. Are you sick or something? May I remind you that you were a child once (and still appear to be less mature than many of them).

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), January 29, 2000.

Using innocent children as an excuse for ultimate tyranny is the greater crime.

-- Marie W. (pray4peace@compuserve.com), January 29, 2000.