By MassPrivateI
The biometrics industry has never been known to miss an
opportunity to make a profit. Especially when it comes at the
expense of everyone’s privacy.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, facial recognition companies
have been hard at work creating a new sales pitch that will allow
them to maximize their profits.
Across the globe, facial recognition companies are hard at work
trying to convince politicians, law enforcement and the public that
thermal imaging cameras will help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Forbes.com is all too eager to jump on the thermal
imaging bandwagon, claiming that Athena Security’s facial
recognition/thermal imaging software can scan
1000 people per hour.
“With Covid-19, you see the problem at airports today,”
Athena Security CEO Lisa Falzone explains. “Passengers are
waiting in lines to manually take their temperatures, which slows
traffic down. With our technology, we can analyze 1000 people per
hour.”
In fact, Athena Security has gone so far as to combine fever detection, facial recognition
and gun detection into an all-in-one screening system.
Our Fever Detection COVID19 Screening System is now a part of
our platform along with our gun detection system which connects
directly to your current security camera system to deliver fast,
accurate threat detection – including guns, knives, and
aggressive action. Our system can also alert you to falls,
accidents, and unwelcome visitors.
As Forbes.com points out, what makes Athena’s software
so unique is their ability to send out real-time alerts to
authorities.
What’s different about Athena’s system, explains Falzone, is
its ability to send out immediate alerts to the appropriate
parties, who can then make an informed decision on how to act.
The scariest thing about the proliferation of facial
recognition/thermal imaging cameras is it gives law enforcement
near god-like powers to identify and quarantine anyone they
choose.
DroneUp
suggests that law enforcement could use thermal imaging drones
as an excuse to monitor people for COVID-19.
Assurance is key in uncertain times. That is why DroneUp is
functioning in conjunction with FAA regulatory precautions as we
collaborate with state and local officials to ensure safety for
all. We strongly encourage our fellow drone operators to also
become keenly aware of the protocol and regulations as the pandemic
evolves.
That same scenario is being played out across the country, with
more than 1,500
police departments using drones to monitor the public. In
Michigan, the Hillsdale Sheriff’s Office recently purchased a
DJI Matrice 210 drone equipped with thermal imaging.
Three police departments in particular have taken drone
surveillance to a whole new level.
The Owensboro Police Department in Kentucky has created a
10-member
thermal imaging drone surveillance team.
The Owensboro Police Department recently created a 10-member
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Team who were trained and certified to fly
the department’s $2,300 drone inside city limits.
In Texas, the Public Safety Unmanned Response Team has partnered
with the Airborne Incident Response Team to help
expand police drone surveillance.
“The objective is to create a robust network of drone
responders and geographic information systems experts capable of
rendering direct assistance and location intelligence during
complex emergencies, rapidly expanding incidents, and major
disasters. Increased communication and cooperation are essential to
the successful deployment of drones and other unmanned systems in
support of public safety operations,” said Travis Calendine,
chairperson of the Public Safety Unmanned Response Team North
Texas.
The Vista Police Department (CVPD), arguably the most famous
drone surveillance police department in the country, is creating a
52-square-mile drone surveillance zone.
“The CVPD can proactively cover about 17 of the 52 square
miles of our city with drones launched from two sites. Our goal
this year is to add launch sites to provide 100% aerial support
coverage during daylight hours 7 days a week by the end of the
year,” Vern Sallee, patrol operations captain said.
The worldwide fear of the coronavirus is so widespread that MIT,
Harvard and The Mayo Clinic have designed a new COVID-19 warning
app called “Private
Kit.”
credit: Private
Kit
As Fast Company
explains, Private Kit will allegedly alert a user when someone
infected with the COVID-19 is close. Maybe they could use this
app to alert them when a Walking
Dead zombie is close by?
Researchers just released an app in beta that alerts people when
they come into contact with someone who’s been diagnosed with
COVID-19, potentially reducing the virus’s spread if the app is
downloaded by a large chunk of the population.
Of course there is a catch to using Private Kit: users will lose
their privacy.
After you download the app and consent to sharing your location
(which is necessary in order for the app to work), the app starts
tracking you. Should you cross paths with someone who’s been
diagnosed with the coronavirus who also has the app, you’ll
receive a notification telling you when and for how long.
Facial recognition companies like Veriff show how little they
care about everyone’s privacy by offering universities and health
care providers 1
million free identity verifications.
Potential beneficiaries of free verification’s range from
universities who need to verify people taking exams to marketplaces
that have volunteers who help people in need and to registries that
could tackle fake accounts and set up reliable databases about
people in quarantine. But also, digital health care service
providers, organizations fighting fake news and beyond.
If corporations, politicians and law enforcement can convince an
apathetic public that facial recognition, thermal imaging and gun
detection cameras can keep us safe, then our privacy will vanish
before COVID-19 runs its course.
Article source:
MassPrivateI Blog
Image credit:
BGR
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Facial Recognition Companies Profit From COVID-19 By Adding Thermal
Imaging
