Let's make you...
not look like you.
Like, you will be unrecognizable to a phone.
Hello and welcome to Contechtual,
where we show you the history and future of all the tech you’re using and coveting.
Ever since the release of ‘Minority Report,'
we have all looked forward to the technology that will scan our faces
and our retinas to provide us with the very best advertisements, right?
Nope, absolutely not.
But facial recognition and retina scanning are finally entering our day to day lives.
Android phones have had them for a while and Apple devices finally caught up and launched their own facial recognition.
Mm— took ‘em a while.
The first facial recognition was actually invented—
did you know?
In the 1960s
by the F.B.I., who else?
to catch their most wanted.
And it came to national attention in 2001 when they scanned the faces of Super Bowl attendees
to see if anyone matched their terror database.
I did not know that—
Mhm.
But now, in 2017, facial recognition is becoming standard in consumer cell phones.
And us regular folk use facial recognition for way more important stuff.
Like, making sure our friends don’t break into our phones and see our thousands of rejected selfies
and a folder of nudes.
You have a much more interesting life than I do.
When we use facial recognition, are we giving up our privacy?
Question mark?
It’s a question that a lot of people are having—
me in particular and I think you know, we both
share— I also have that question.
Well, we’re about to ask it.
Jeramie Scott, from the electronic privacy information center
is on the robot to talk to us about it right now.
Jeramie.
EPIC is an organization started to focus public attention on emerging privacy issues.
So knowing what you know about privacy,
would you ever consider using facial recognition?
Not right now, no, no—
now with the kind of lack of regulation to provide some safeguards there—
particularly privacy safeguards to regulate the use of this technology.
You know, one of the problems here is that you may sign up for a particular use
of your face scan in the context of facial recognition,
but since there’s no kind of regulation on that use
down the road, they could be used for something that you wouldn’t agree with.
But you’ve already kind of consented in a way to its use.
But I’m using it just to get into my phone— that can’t be that dangerous.
You can see that implementation easily growing to a point where it would be hard to leave
your home and not have facial recognition being acted upon you
at all times.
And all of a sudden, you have a mass surveillance system—
So what you’re saying is that essentially because I live in the modern world,
I’ve already given my face data away.
Most people don’t realize that a majority of adults in this country are probably in some type of government facial recognition
data base because of the F.B.I.’s use of facial recognition and their agreements with DMVs
across various states.
The reach of facial recognition used by the government
is over a hundred million adults in this country.
So I’m horrified, but I still really hate putting my pin in.
So, is it possible to fool facial recognition with makeup so we can use it for now, but trick it in the future?
We brought in a makeup artist to see if she can hide Dain’s face enough
to trick facial recognition.
And we’re here now!
I’m also here with Stefani Paige Vivian and I am only going to call you by your complete name
because it’s amazing.
Thank you!
This is the phone that we’re going to be using— this is the Samsung Galaxy S8.
We put my face in earlier
And it opened.
So we’re going to start with some heavy, trendy makeup and see if it can still recognize who you are.
There’s so much makeup.
I’m ready for my close-up.
Delicious.
Yeah?
I feel so light and dewey.
I’m practicing my ventriloquism.
Oh my gosh!
What do you bet? Do you bet it will open, won’t open?
I think it will open.
You think it'll open?
I think it will open.
Ok.
I have to agree, I think it will open, but I also don’t regret sitting in this chair—
Neither do I!
And being made beautiful.
Okay, ready?
The screen is black.
Wait, really?
What?? No, that can’t be, really?
Face not recognized.
Oh. My. God.
It’s not working!
No— too pretty!
You’re too pretty—
I am too beau— I broke the ph— It’s broken!
Okay, so I’m wondering if it would’ve been different with a different phone.
What we’re going to do next, I think would trick all of them.
This is where the light hits him the most.
So I blacked that out.
So it’s now void— it’s a complete matte black.
It’s a look.
Oh! I like that.
Nope, no match.
I really do think that this is a good thing.
Yeah!
So we’ve f*cked my face.
It didn’t let me in, you know, which is inconvenient, but also for security purposes is really good.
Hey, Stef!
Hi!
How are you? It’s nice to see you here.
How’re you working on uh— who’s this?
I’m Andrew, I work here at NowThis.
I’m doing a show with my co-worker, I don’t know if you met him—
his name’s Dain.
We tricked him too. I guess facial recognition is actually smarter than—
[Screaming]
Dain, I guess I’m just sorry about the whole chainsaw thing.
It was a real misstep on my part.
That’s totally fair.
Join us next time when we talk about drones!