Wednesday, May 28, 2008

More Cool Privacy Tech

The new privacy technology we are working on at 3VR does more than simply blur people's faces. Here is an example where full images of surveilled people are actually scrambled and encrypted before they are displayed for monitoring security personnel.

The image on the left is from the original video feed. The second image is from a scrambled and encrypted version of that same feed.

Though with the encrypted feed it's possible to detect loitering, fighting, and many other behaviors of concern, identity information is totally protected...that is, until an authorized user chooses to decrypt the feed. BUT then that action is controlled and logged, and an alert can even be generated, to ensure that the surveillance system is not being abused or misused.

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8 Comments:

Blogger Ganesh said...

Test Video Sequence: courtesy of http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/rbf/CAVIARDATA1/

May 30, 2008 at 9:16 PM  
Blogger cheese ball said...

I would like a solid color like red instead of scrambled pixels. Because if it is a tiny object on background with similar color, I can easily overlook it...

June 16, 2008 at 8:31 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I bet that's really useful for when one guy steals some shit, and you have to go find him.
"Now where did that medium-sized prismacolor guy go?"

June 18, 2009 at 5:16 AM  
Blogger Singhal said...

If you use a solid color then that would mean there would be a redundant copy maintained where the original video is stored. and wastage of storage space

September 11, 2009 at 5:11 AM  
Blogger Hal said...

Because federal agencies are SCRAMBLING to protect privacy! /sarcasm

Good for the private sector, although I don't fear the private sector like I fear my government.

October 23, 2009 at 2:32 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

And, they are going to use that as a cover to put cameras in areas where they never did before (i.e. changing rooms and restrooms). Just as they use technology that sees through clothing in airports and then say it is only viewed by "authorized personnel."

October 25, 2009 at 6:26 AM  
Blogger CharlieSmite said...

A bad idea. Cameras are not just used to indicate loiterers. Sometimes you need to see what the person is carrying, their demeanor based on their facial expression, and what their description is in order to pass it to other security personnel. Having to decrypt this data before the information is available is an unnecessary abstraction from the goal of security.

October 28, 2009 at 9:17 AM  
Blogger glorybe said...

Secure : To lock down and immobilize
Security is the opposite of freedom. The problem is that death is also the opposite of freedom and if we have bad people killing other people then none of us really have any freedom at all. I suggest that all of us get used to the idea that privacy does not exist whenever others are effected. Being in public is a consent to let everyone see everything that you are doing.

November 19, 2009 at 9:50 AM  

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