IBM and Boston authorities examined a brand new facial recognition software program that secretly scanned each one who attended two main music festivals in Boston – all with out their information or consent, based on a Boston newspaper.
The huge surveillance system, run by the corporate’s Intelligence Operations Heart, aimed cameras on hundreds of individuals at Boston Calling, a large live performance sequence close to Metropolis Corridor, in Could and September 2013.
The primary take a look at run occurred a month after bombings that killed three folks and injured dozens extra close to the end line of the Boston Marathon.
In keeping with the newspaper Dig Boston, Boston law enforcement officials had been available to witness the take a look at of the surveillance system – although IBM staffers had been working the operation.
These photographs, purportedly taken from an IBM report on surveillance operations on the Boston Calling music pageant, present how folks had been scanned on the occasion
Dig Boston experiences that this system scanned to find out ‘pores and skin tone,’ ‘head coloration’ and clothes texture of attendees, with the purpose of working everybody on the occasion by way of the software program
The instance of surveillance digital camera footage reveals how the IBM software program was capable of flag all black ladies sporting glasses and yellow shirts who went by way of mass transit turnstiles. It isn’t clear whether or not this was a part of the Boston Calling surveillance exercise
Dig Boston claims that the take a look at sought to trace ‘each particular person’ on the musical pageant with ten surveillance cameras that had been arrange across the occasion.
The newspaper says it uncovered paperwork detailing the usage of IBM’s Face Seize software program, which identifies ‘baldness,’ ‘head coloration,’ ‘pores and skin tone’ and clothes.
IBM says Face Seize was not used on the occasion.
IBM spokeswoman Holli Haswell instructed MailOnline: ‘IBM shared a one-time proof of idea and demo with the Metropolis of Boston on situational analytics. Within the demo, IBM offered broad analytics for a number of use circumstances resembling figuring out suspicious objects like an deserted bag or car, or to supply an alert when somebody crosses from an unrestricted space to a restricted space.
‘The software program didn’t present facial recognition on attendees at Boston Calling.’
Earlier this month, Dig Boston discovered an IBM report detailing the operation that had been out there on-line for greater than a 12 months.
A spokeswoman for the mayor’s workplace acknowledged that Boston officers had approved the take a look at – although later scrapped the challenge.
Each the mayor’s workplace and the police say they don’t presently function surveillance expertise like IBM examined at Boston Calling.
‘The Metropolis of Boston engaged in a pilot program with IBM, testing situational consciousness software program for 2 occasions hosted on Metropolis Corridor Plaza: Boston Calling in Could 2013, and Boston Calling in September 2013,’ Kate Norton, the spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, instructed Dig Boston.
‘The aim of the pilot was to judge software program that might make it simpler for the Metropolis to host massive, public occasions, taking a look at challenges resembling allowing, primary companies, crowd and visitors administration, public security, and citizen engagement by way of social media and different channels.
‘These had been expertise demonstrations using pre-existing {hardware} (cameras) and knowledge storage methods.’
IBM didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Though IBM scanned hundreds of individuals throughout the take a look at, there isn’t any indication that the corporate tried to place names to the faces it collected.
Boston Police spokesman Sergeant Michael McCarthy instructed MailOnline that the corporate didn’t have entry to Boston police reserving images or driver license photos.
