The Guardian: Major breach found in biometrics system used by banks, UK police and defence firms. “The fingerprints of over 1 million people, as well as facial recognition information, unencrypted usernames and passwords, and personal information of employees, was discovered on a publicly accessible database for a company used by the likes of the UK Metropolitan police, defence contractors and banks.”
biometrics
Neowin: Google goes password-less for some web services through Android, more to come
Neowin: Google goes password-less for some web services through Android, more to come. “Google today announced that it is bringing the ability to use your fingerprint or other authentication methods instead of your password, on its own services. The feature will be available today to users on Pixel devices and will roll out to all devices running Android 7 Nougat or higher in the coming days.”
Neowin: Tape and glasses are all you need to break Apple’s FaceID – alongside a sleeping person
Neowin: Tape and glasses are all you need to break Apple’s FaceID – alongside a sleeping person. “Turns out, in order to allow people with spectacles to use Face ID without removing their eyewear, Face ID doesn’t take 3D information around the eyes when it sees a user is wearing glasses. Using this weak point in Face ID’s implementation, researchers showed how they could take a sleeping person, put on specially modified glasses and applying some tape on them can trick Face ID into unlocking the phone.”
The New York Times: In Hong Kong Protests, Faces Become Weapons
The New York Times: In Hong Kong Protests, Faces Become Weapons. “As Hong Kong convulses amid weeks of protests, demonstrators and the police have turned identity into a weapon. The authorities are tracking protest leaders online and seeking their phones. Many protesters now cover their faces, and they fear that the police are using cameras and possibly other tools to single out targets for arrest.”
Washington Post: You downloaded FaceApp. Here’s what you’ve just done to your privacy.
Washington Post: You downloaded FaceApp. Here’s what you’ve just done to your privacy. . “When an app goes viral, how can you know whether it’s all good fun — or covertly violating your privacy by, say, sending your face to the Russian government? That’s the burning question about FaceApp, a program that takes photos of people and “ages” them using artificial intelligence. Soon after it shot to the top of the Apple and Google store charts this week, privacy advocates began waving warning flags about the Russian-made app’s vague legalese. Word spread quickly that the app might be a disinformation campaign or secretly downloading your entire photo album.”
Mashable: Why absolutely everyone should be concerned about facial recognition
Mashable: Why absolutely everyone should be concerned about facial recognition . “The tech world moves so quickly that dystopia can arrive without us realizing it. That seems to be the trajectory we’re on with facial recognition. Some of the biggest names in the tech space are developing advanced facial recognition systems and selling them to governments around the world, but the general public might not fully understand all the risks they bring.”
Abacus News: Move over humans, this startup is making facial recognition for pets
Abacus News: Move over humans, this startup is making facial recognition for pets. “If you’re a dog lover, you probably don’t need convincing that your furry friend is like no other. But just how exactly can you tell two pups apart? AI startup Megvii says they have an answer. The company, known better as a supplier of facial recognition surveillance software to the Chinese government, is now dabbling in biometric recognition for animals. But rather than scanning the whole face of a dog, it focuses solely on one feature: The nose.”
