The NSA Intercepts Millions Of Images Per Day For Facial Recognition
The NSA may very well know what you look like.
According to James Risen and Laura Poitras in the Times, it’s unclear how many people around the world — or how many Americans — are subject to the image surveillance, but tens of thousands of “facial-recognition quality images” are collected each day:
The agency intercepts “millions of images per day” — including about 55,000 “facial recognition quality images” — which translate into “tremendous untapped potential,” according to 2011 documents obtained from the former agency contractor Edward J. Snowden. While once focused on written and oral communications, the N.S.A. now considers facial images, fingerprints and other identifiers just as important to its mission of tracking suspected terrorists and other intelligence targets, the documents show.
Sunka June 1st, 2014 at 8:06 pm
We all have pics on our driver’s licenses so knowing that the Feds can id my face is nothing knew. It is common practice these days to fingerprint healthcare professionals, teachers, daycare workers & those applying for all kinds of credentials. This part of the NSA program is not the scariest…it’s the databases dummies! What books I buy, what websites I visit, who my friends are & on & on. Does anyone care that DNA is considered property of the Feds? Blueprints of newborns are taken without consent of parents? Is that ok?
Anomaly 100 June 1st, 2014 at 9:00 pm
I hope they caught my picture a couple of weeks ago when I faceplanted on the street. I need copies of those.
fahvel June 2nd, 2014 at 4:26 am
good one A. The glory moments are what make our souvenirs worth keeping.
Anomaly 100 June 2nd, 2014 at 7:27 am
They say scars add character. Wow, do I have a ton of character right now!