Remember the hullabaloo over the face-recognition software put in place to catch criminals at the 2001 Super Bowl and then permanently in Ybor City? Turns out that after all the demands to remove it based on privacy fears, instead Tampa unplugged the camera software because it didn’t work. Scorecard after two years: Zero arrests and zero positive ID’s. The 36 cameras will stay, because the live humans that monitor them have been able to spot fights and drug deals and such.
[ via Dragonleg ]
[Grooving to: Der Fuehrer’s Face by Spike Jones]
Now there’s justice for you.
Speaking from the vantage point of experience with software defense contractors, this doesn’t surprise me much. There are times I think all defense contracting is just pixiedust and fairypowder…with a crewcut.
I work in the computer vision industry and can understand why this failed. Most people in vision are still using 1970s or 1980s technology so have inadequate tools to do the job. This problem is a solvable one, but the people who are seeking to solve it need to embrace changes.
Oh for the good old days of venture capital.
So Much For Face-Recognition Software
Solnor Rasreth of Solnor’s Ink Well tells us that the “face-recognition software put in place to catch criminals at the 2001 Super Bowl” has been removed.
…Turns out that after