The state of New York has privately asked surveillance companies to pitch a vast camera system that would scan and identify people who drive in and out of New York City, according to a December memo obtained by Vocativ. As big brother tactics continue to creep quietly into Americans' everyday lives, here are six ways to dodge biometric verification…
As Vocativ.com reports, the call for private companies to submit plans is part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s major infrastructure package, which he introduced in October.
Though much of the related proposals would be indisputably welcome to most New Yorkers — renovating airports and improving public transportation — a little-noticed detail included installing cameras to “test emerging facial recognition software and equipment.”
“This is a highly advanced system they’re asking for,” said Clare Garvie, an associate at Georgetown University’s Center for Privacy and Technology, and who specializes in police use of face recognition technologies. “This is going to be terabytes — if not petabytes — of data, and multiple cameras running 24 hours a day. In order to be face recognition compliant they probably have to be pretty high definition.”
Cuomo’s office didn’t respond to multiple requests for clarification in the ensuing weeks after his announcement. But a memo from the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Bridges and Tunnels division, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows that on December 12, the MTA put out a call to an unknown group of private vendors of surveillance equipment. The proposed system would both scan drivers as they approached or crossed most of the city’s bridges and tunnels at high speeds, and would also capture and pair those photos with the license plates of their cars.
“The biggest risk that comes with a system like this is its ability to track people, by location, by their face,” Garvie said. “So what needs to be put in place is a prohibition on the use of these cameras and the technology as a location tracking tool.”
The proposed system would be massive, the memo reads:
The Authority is interested in implementing a Facial Detection System, in a free-flow highway environment, where vehicle movement is unimpeded at highway speeds as well as bumper-to-bumper traffic, and license plate images are taken and matched to occupants of the vehicles (via license plate number) with Facial Detection and Recognition methods from a gantry-based or road-side monitoring location.
All seven of the MTA’s bridges and both its tunnels are named in the proposal.
New York City wouldn’t be the first in the U.S. to have a network of facial recognition cameras for law enforcement. In 2013, for instance, the Los Angeles Police Department admitted it had deployed 16 cameras equipped with face recognition software, designed to search for particular suspects.
If all of this big brotherly love is too much for you, Jeremiah Johnson (nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces) explains, via ReadyNutrition.com, how you can dodge facial recognition software…
Helen of Troy, according to the Odyssey, was “the face that launched a thousand ships,” prior to the Greek invasion of Troy. You and I, on the other hand, are the faces that launch an army of CCTV cameras ready to capture our images when we walk past them. ReadyNutrition Readers, we just covered winter camouflage tips and techniques. Camouflage is an important part of your prepping, in terms of being able to effectively hide yourself and your supplies from prying eyes.
One of the biggest problems that we encounter is not blending in with the terrain in a wilderness environment, however, but what we face in an urban and suburban environment. As mentioned in previous articles, you have to camouflage in accordance with the environment you find yourself within. It would not be intelligent to stroll down the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard dressed up in Realtree-patterned garb with a holstered sidearm and a hunting knife. You would undoubtedly be “noticed,” and probably take a ride in a black and white, courtesy of the police department.
There’s an article that gives some very stark details about the 250 million security cameras in existence throughout the world. The article entitled “Opinion: Facial recognition will soon end your anonymity,” written by Tarun Wadwha on 6/4/2016 explains this in detail and how new developments in software and the ever-growing number of cameras everywhere are reducing your chances to remain anonymous. Chances are that your face has already been scanned and entered into a database without your knowledge. Knowing these things, there are a few measures that we can take…and these are directed toward urban and suburban dwellers to give them an edge.
What these Statists are trying to do is to create a “map” of where you are and what you’re doing, along with the times and dates of your activities. Go and see (or rent out) the latest “Jason Bourne” movie to really get a feel for the intricacies of how these Law Enforcement agencies, the government, and other interests utilize the public domains to tie into their surveillance of you and your family.
6 Ways to Dodge Biometric Verification
Here are some things you can do, and keep in mind to help lower your signature:
- Wear sunglasses during the daylight hours…breaking up the potential to photograph your eyes, the way they are set into your face, and any eye movements that might give away what you are doing (what you’re getting ready to do).
- Wear a hat, especially one that covers up the ears. Baseball caps are fine, but they really focus on the ears – their shape and proximity to the side of your head – for identification purposes. The caps also bust up the curvature of your head and also hide the hair and hair patterns.
- Wear scarves, turtlenecks, and other clothing such as balaclavas to break up the outline of the neck.
- Gloves: hide the hands, your marital status, and scars, fingernails, or other prominent features…even the fingerprints can be photographed.
- Layered clothing: yes, this is great to protect from the cold, but I’ll give you another reason to wear it. The Doctrine of Contrasting Colors. For a “real-time” view of this look no further than the movie “The Recruit” with Colin Farrell and Al Pacino. Farrell escaped from his pursuers by shedding the outer layer of his clothing and reversing the jacket. You can do the same. Make the green sweatshirt disappear when the need arises with a change to a tan polypro top with a zippered neck.
- Rule of Thumb: “When the Need Arises.” Yes, you can pack yourself a small “kit” with darker-toned makeup/lighter-toned makeup such as skin cream, and also hats of various types different from the ones you normally use. A wig may be a quick fix to turn your hair from brown to blonde. There are also movie supply sites you can visit that will sell you real mustaches actually made from human hair. Sound stupid? It won’t if you use it and it keeps you out of a cell. This measure is for when it’s really hitting the fan…not for “day to day” activities.
Another big problem to overcome with all of this surveillance is the fact that most people have their constantly clicking and snapping little phone-cameras to take pictures of every single thing on the planet within their “biome,” and it’s these individuals who serve as “silent witnesses” to help the surveillance state gather as much info as they can. In addition, let’s not forget that every photo you post, twitter, place on Facebook, or download in any capacity does indeed become “scarfed up” by the government. That $50-billion-dollar facility in Utah wasn’t built to help out Olan Mills with their photography work.
Be aware, and not just of others but of yourself. Reduce the “footprint” you put out by learning where the cameras are where you work and on your trips back and forth to your house. Disable the little camera-dot on the top edge of your laptop with 2 layers of aluminum HVAC duct tape pieces. Disable the microphone within it as well. Bottom line: you have to pull security for yourself and on yourself to reduce the chances of them cataloguing your every move. Don’t give them what they need to build up their files.
We are entering into a phase in our country with a moment of decision to come with the U.S. elections. Martial law is always just around the corner, waiting to be inflicted on us. These are techniques you’ll have to incorporate into your daily routine and they’ll take some practice. Awareness and the ability to act on what is happening around you are the keys you’ll need to be able to make it all work. We’d like to hear any suggestions you have on the matter that may work for others. Keep fighting that good fight, and stay away from those cameras!
via http://ift.tt/2kDKzx8 Tyler Durden