Surveillance Cameras in Moscow Are Learning to Recognize Faces

More than 3,000 surveillance cameras in Moscow are already connected to a facial recognition system. There are a total of 160,000 cameras in the city, but it’s unclear when the system will be implemented on all of them. Nevertheless, it’s obvious that hiding from cameras is becoming more and more difficult—not just in Moscow, but in other cities as well. Many people are uncomfortable with this level of public exposure, and there are a few ways to avoid being detected by cameras with facial recognition capabilities.

1. Wear a Mask of Another Person

A Guy Fawkes mask will hide you from cameras, but you’ll stand out even more among other pedestrians. That’s why you need a mask of another person. Artist Leo Selvaggio offers to buy a mask with his face. It costs $200.

2. Wear Special Glasses

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have learned how to trick facial recognition systems using specially designed glasses. They developed a way to color the glasses so that the algorithm mistakes the wearer for someone else—for example, they managed to make a man appear as Milla Jovovich. To make such glasses yourself, you’ll need to at least study and understand this scientific work.

In the top row: people wearing glasses that confuse the algorithm. In the bottom row: the people the computer thinks are wearing the glasses.

3. Apply Special Makeup

In July 2017, Grigory Bakunov, Director of Technology Distribution at Yandex, shared that he and his friends developed an algorithm that generates makeup to fool facial recognition systems. According to Bakunov, the algorithm analyzed a person’s face and then generated makeup that made the person look like their complete opposite. Bakunov did not release the algorithm publicly and eventually abandoned the project. A Yandex employee warns that regular makeup will not fool modern algorithms.

Conclusion

Simple tricks don’t work. Facial recognition systems can identify people wearing glasses—both regular and sunglasses. A scarf over your face will attract extra attention, and a balaclava even more so. Infrared LEDs, which are often recommended for tricking cameras, don’t work. In fact, they can make things worse by highlighting your face.