Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

blog.machinebox.io

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 111 posts

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#21

Post by ReverseCold »

jstanley wrote: post #3

Please, no. This has to be a parody. > Banks don’t want private account details (like the user’s current balance and credit limits etc) being seen by anybody other than the account holder. This is exactly the kind of justification they'd use. And surprise surprise there won't be a box that says "I'd rather risk somebody seeing my account details than have a biometric model of my face stored in your database and given…

Now that this is possible, what stops bad people/companies/governments from (ab)using this?

There's really nothing else you can do apart from wearing a mask and sunglasses, which will also be bypassed soon enough. (Not to mention that no one wants to do that.)

Unlike weapons, a lot of these ai tools have some force of good behind them as well - so good governments won't pass laws against this either.

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#22

Post by username223 »

tekromancr wrote: post #13
danso wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some more info about ProctorU (for others who haven't heard about it): https://www.chronicle.com/article/Behind-the-Webcams-Watchfu... > Rather than one proctor sitting at the head of a physical classroom and roaming the aisles every once in a while, remote proctors peer into a student's home, seize control of her computer, and stare at her face for the duration of a test, reading her body language for signs of impro…

Online proctoring is actually a really busy space in edtech. There are numerous companies with products deployed that are fully automated. They record videos of students taking the tests through a webcam, then send the analysis back to the instructors highlighting which videos are worth watching.

This system seems designed to encourage abuse by all parties involved.

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#23

Post by IntronExon »

nabeards wrote: post #7
jstanley wrote: post #3

Please, no. This has to be a parody. > Banks don’t want private account details (like the user’s current balance and credit limits etc) being seen by anybody other than the account holder. This is exactly the kind of justification they'd use. And surprise surprise there won't be a box that says "I'd rather risk somebody seeing my account details than have a biometric model of my face stored in your database and given…

Do people really consider the ethics of introducing tech like this? I guess it just comes down to a consequentialism vs deontology whether someone thinks this is a good idea. And, obviously, if they don't do it, I guess someone else will?

This is why software needs an association with some teeth, because professional ethical standards don’t grow on trees. Note how a doctor doesn’t just say, “Well if I don’t dose these people without their knowledge or consent, someone else will.”

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#25

Post by Rotdhizon »

nabeards wrote: post #7
jstanley wrote: post #3

Please, no. This has to be a parody. > Banks don’t want private account details (like the user’s current balance and credit limits etc) being seen by anybody other than the account holder. This is exactly the kind of justification they'd use. And surprise surprise there won't be a box that says "I'd rather risk somebody seeing my account details than have a biometric model of my face stored in your database and given…

Do people really consider the ethics of introducing tech like this? I guess it just comes down to a consequentialism vs deontology whether someone thinks this is a good idea. And, obviously, if they don't do it, I guess someone else will?

There was an article about just that the other week, on here I believe. It was detailing how a lot of the controversial tech ideas coming out of places like silicon valley are from these tech/startup moguls who are so disconnected from reality that they don't understand the concept of ethics or technological consequence. To them it doesn't matter how intrusive a design is, if it solves a problem, then that justifies all negatives.

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#26

Post by gricardo99 »

nabeards wrote: post #7
jstanley wrote: post #3

Please, no. This has to be a parody. > Banks don’t want private account details (like the user’s current balance and credit limits etc) being seen by anybody other than the account holder. This is exactly the kind of justification they'd use. And surprise surprise there won't be a box that says "I'd rather risk somebody seeing my account details than have a biometric model of my face stored in your database and given…

Do people really consider the ethics of introducing tech like this? I guess it just comes down to a consequentialism vs deontology whether someone thinks this is a good idea. And, obviously, if they don't do it, I guess someone else will?

The great irony is that often technological innovations are believed to be liberating and done with the motivation of improving the common lot of humanity.

Two examples:

Social networking - Enabling more meaningful and greater connection between people, leading to greater happiness and fulfillment? Or, fostering more divisions, balkanization into "like" echo chambers, promulgating fear and prejudice, leading to greater depression and mass manipulation?

Cryptocurrencies - Disintermediation! need I say more ;) All kinds of utopian views of how this is supposed to promote freedom, security and efficiency. But top of the wish-list for the most paranoid and repressive authoritarian tyrant would have to be a magical way to fully control and monitor all economic activity: A cash-less society where every single transaction is done with the government controlled digital currency, recorded on the government controlled blockchain.

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#27

Post by notgoingaway »

IntronExon wrote: post #23
nabeards wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do people really consider the ethics of introducing tech like this? I guess it just comes down to a consequentialism vs deontology whether someone thinks this is a good idea. And, obviously, if they don't do it, I guess someone else will?

This is why software needs an association with some teeth, because professional ethical standards don’t grow on trees. Note how a doctor doesn’t just say, “Well if I don’t dose these people without their knowledge or consent, someone else will.”

Fuck no

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#28

Post by notgoingaway »

exabrial wrote: post #19
danjoc wrote: post #12

Coursera required face verification recently. Once I found out, I had my course fee refunded and have not signed up for another course.

The policy might have been changed? An article I just read says: "taking a photo via webcam, uploading a photo of a picture id issued by the government, and making a record of their typing pattern."

Sounds like spyware.

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#29

Post by gruez »

txsh wrote: post #15

Do people realy think identities are stolen by criminals peaking over shoulders? And, if so, couldn’t they use a camera, or mirror, or periscope to bypass this software?

or looking at the screen outside the camera's fov, which shouldn't be hard to do considering IPS have up to 178 degrees viewing angle.

Re: Face-verify.js: Monitoring who is physically looking at a website

#30

Post by gruez »

ReverseCold wrote: post #21
jstanley wrote: post #3

Please, no. This has to be a parody. > Banks don’t want private account details (like the user’s current balance and credit limits etc) being seen by anybody other than the account holder. This is exactly the kind of justification they'd use. And surprise surprise there won't be a box that says "I'd rather risk somebody seeing my account details than have a biometric model of my face stored in your database and given…

Now that this is possible, what stops bad people/companies/governments from (ab)using this? There's really nothing else you can do apart from wearing a mask and sunglasses, which will also be bypassed soon enough. (Not to mention that no one wants to do that.) Unlike weapons, a lot of these ai tools have some force of good behind them as well - so good governments won't pass laws against this either.

disable your webcam? webcams aren't exactly standard on desktops.
Post reply on HN