IHF Roundup: Robots Invading the Job Site, Surveillance Cameras Busting Fuzz and Other Top Headlines This Week

Robots were all over the place this week -- construction sites, ORs and warzone terrain. Engineers at Virginia Tech have designed 'Hydras' robots capable of rolling up and down poles and columns with the goal of deploying them at construction sites in the near future. Going forward, they hope to outfit these robots with ultrasound scanners and cameras to inspect bridges and buildings for flaws, tasks that kill over 1,000 workers each year. Brings new meaning to the term, 'pole dancing', don't you think?

In the Japanese healthcare sector, researchers plan to implement new safety rules for robo-nurses, which they expect to be a long-term solution to the lack of caregivers for the growing elderly demographic in the country. And from hospitals to front lines in Afghanistan, BigDog robots -- four-legged robotic creations capable of navigating the rocky terrain -- are being tested as potential danger alert monitors in battle zones. They can walk, lie down, have a great sense of smell and can even climb inclines. Grab them a collar and teach them to 'play dead' and they could make a great pet. Although probably not quite the friendliest or furriest companion I've come across.

As Geoff Kohl of SecurityInfoWatch.com wrote earlier today, biometrics may have reached the tipping point. When something becomes as mainstream as an iPhone, you know it's infiltrating popular culture -- and biometrics are doing just that. The Apple Insider blog reported today that Apple filed for a patent for a biometric reader to install in either an iPhone or Apple computer to secure the devices with either fingerprint or facial recognition. No passcodes required. Still a ways off, but I'm excited to think that instead of typing in a four-number passcode to make a phone call, my iPhone might someday be able to recognize the shape of my ear or authenticate my fingerprint on the screen instead.

Also, a fascinating look at how surveillance footage isn't just busting criminals, but also being used as evidence against cops lying on the witness stand in the New York Times. Instead of implicating suspected criminals, footage has established cases against the police officers committing perjury about their actions instead. The camera never lies.

Taking off for ISC West this weekend. Shoot @TheSteveRussell a direct message on Twitter if you want to meet up or just stop by the 3VR booth (#12081) -- hope to see you there!

Introducing the New 3VR S-Series SmartRecorder

It's been a busy past few weeks. With our recent Diebold and Ingersoll Rand integration announcements on top of preparations for ISC West next week, we've certainly had our hands full -- however, we have no plans to slowdown anytime soon.

Thursday marked a big day in 3VR history -- the announcement of the S-Series SmartRecorder!

On Thursday, we officially announced the release of our new S-Series SmartRecorder™, the most compact and economical video system ever to be built upon 3VR's unique and powerful searchable surveillance platform. Years in the making, it's an ideal solution for both large and small businesses previously constrained by the cost and complexity of analytic-enabled surveillance, and we're very excited to finally be bringing this revolutionary product to the market.

Check out our new product video on the S-Series featuring yours truly and our Director of Engineering, Tim Frederick.

Also, for all those headed to Vegas next week for ISC West, we'll be demoing the S-Series (along with the rest of our product line) in 3VR's booth (#12081). Stop by and check it out!

Keeping Tabs on @TheSteveRussell

Interesting Augmented Reality development from Squidder this week. The initiative started by embedding t-shirts with a FLAR barcode and making Twitter handles recognizable by Webcams. Once authenticated, a user's latest Tweet was displayed as a video overlay -- but this was only the first layer.

Going further, those Squidders tied facial recognition technology in with the same Webcam-enabled computers, so that the software recognizes the user (rather than the barcode) and then displays their latest Tweet on the screen. The technology is still definitely in the alpha stages, as the software only picks up on a human face rather than a unique individual, but I'd say they've got a beat on the future of video monitoring. I could definitely see this (or a similar) tool also being adapted for Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking sites down the road. Cool stuff!

Speaking of Twitter, check out the latest of what @TheSteveRussell is thinking about here.

Combatting Gun-Related Violence Wirelessly

Imagine a world where gunshots could be stopped long before they were fired.

Well, that might be a bit farfetched, but at Johns Hopkins University, researchers are working so that dream becomes a reality. The 140-acre, 6,400-student university in downtown Baltimore is currently testing a gunshot detection system in an attempt to reduce gunfire and increase campus safety.

However, gunshot detection systems aren't new by any means. Law enforcement agencies, homeland security and the military have been utilizing explosion location and detection systems like Shotspotter for years, not to mention stadiums, convention centers and many major metropolitan areas.

Although unsuccessful thus far (aside from detecting two car backfires), Johns Hopkins' system has great potential and could pave the way for more massive private deployments to come. Ninety-three sensors located across the campus can detect and triangulate gunshot activity wirelessly to enable dispatchers to see locations of where a gunshot was fired within ten feet and within five seconds of the bullet being fired.

While the system faces challenges with detecting gunshots fired indoors, as well as differentiating it from similar sounds, such as cars backfiring, this system, and others like it, enable police officers to arrive on the scene to more quickly begin caring for victims and enable more efficient investigations. Plus, some are correlating these initiatives to drops in gun-related violence.

Another layer of protection to reduce gunfire and increase safety...not a bad idea for college campuses to start looking into. I see more universities jumping on this bandwagon, particularly in tougher areas.

IHF Roundup: Female Robot Struts Her Stuff, Robotic Fish Invades Foreign Waters and Other Top Headlines This Week

Some ongoing trends I've been seeing for a few months are all relating back to technological innovation in industries traditionally uninterested in the stuff. Whether it's biometric systems, robotic deployments or surveillance initiatives, they're popping up everywhere. In particular, a couple robotics headlines caught my eye this week as they have been making their way into unfamiliar waters -- and runways.

British scientists are developing robotic fish to detect pollution. Coming in around $29,000 apiece, these wireless robots, five feet in length, are enabled with sensors to smell out hazardous chemicals leaking from marine vessels and underwater pipelines. They're being tested in the northern Spanish port of Gijon, and if successful, could potentially be used worldwide. Price point might need to drop a bit to ensure large-scale deployment, but very exciting potential here to sniff out and eliminate leaks polluting our waters.

Almost on the other end of the robotics spectrum, Japanese robotics teams have created a female robot that walk and talks -- down fashion runways, that is. Making her debut at a Tokyo fashion show next week, the five-foot two-inch black-haired HRP-4C robot will ultimately be used to "perform simulations of human movement" in amusement parks, exercise clubs and other such crowded environments. Perhaps, a long lost relative of this robotic performer...

Happy to say that Frost & Sullivan released validation for the growth in biometrics technologies this week. According to Matia Grossi, Frost & Sullivan's industry analyst, "The market for biometrics products is going to almost triple by 2012 from its 2008 value." Exciting stuff, but not entirely surprising considering check and retail fraud rates are skyrocketing and security breaches are causing chaos everywhere. Obviously, the demand for appropriate security initiatives is there and technologies will increase accordingly.

While traditional biometrics have primarily rooted themselves in government agencies, financial institutions and airports, educational outlets, hospitals and even airlines themselves are now implementing these systems. While the current statistics show governments to occupy 44.5% of the market, it's evident from headlines this week growing initiatives in other sectors may soon shift that majority elsewhere.

We've seen biometric security systems implemented all over airports, from the security checkpoints to customs. But biometrics to board planes? That's new.

Air France announced this week the beginning of trials of its new fingerprint-based boarding system -- "smartboarding" -- on the Paris-Amsterdam route. With this new procedure, passengers book their flights online normally and check in at airport kiosks where they receive their thermal-inked boarding pass. Once at the gate, their fingerprints are scanned prior to boarding the airplane. If it saves me from taking my driver's license in and out of my wallet five times before sitting down in my seat, I'm all for it.

Continuing this biometrics growth, schools nationwide, specifically Wyoming and Florida, are installing biometrics keypads in cafeterias to improve accounting systems and provide speedier service. One article even states lunch sales at one school improved 17 percent after using the devices. If not only to get kids into their seats more quickly, bringing in more revenues from those lunches can't hurt struggling schools. Gives new meaning to the term 'fast food.'

Skinny Robot Responds to Your...Gestures

The folks at Brown University and iRobot have built a robot that, according to Nathan Koenig of Brown can, "follow non-verbal commands from a person in a variety of environments."

If you are curious, like me, what that means exactly, check out the following video:



It just makes sense to me that a robot designed to interpret human gestures would be shaped like a giant extended metalic middle finger.

3VR Security Announces New Integration with Ingersoll Rand

Exciting news from 3VR Security today -- we announced our new integration with Schlage’s bright blue™ intelligent access management software!

This will allow users of bright blue’s Web-based access control system to search and manage video in a new and simple video interface using 3VR’s searchable surveillance technology. Tailored to small- and medium-sized businesses, the integration features a simple, usable interface, is quick to install and integrates hassle-free with a variety of hardware options, vastly reducing implementation costs.

As our CEO Al Shipp was quoted:

“The simplicity of this integration sets it apart, providing our customers the ability to rapidly and seamlessly manage, analyze and search secure data, significantly improving the basic safety and security of their facilities and businesses.”

Just another example of 3VR and Schlage’s commitment to delivering plug-and-play solutions that support a broad range of common surveillance systems and cameras. We're very excited to announce this integration and look forward to working with Schlage and other trusted brands within the industry to make our best-in-market technology available to an even broader market.

Securing the IT Perimeter

Processor Magazine just did an interesting piece on the abiding importance of physical security... even in a digital world.

Especially exciting to me is the fact that the article mentions 3VR and quotes yours truly:

3VR’s Russell says even though there is never too much security, there is often too much information. For example, he says, unless video footage can be managed, analyzed, and searched, it is not very useful.

Okay, maybe there is such a thing as too much security.

UAV Showcase Hits the UK

UAVs are becoming a military staple to improve reconnaissance and intelligence, particularly in the US. Not only are spy blimps soon to become common in arsenals, but much more compact and cost-effective models are also in the works.

At the National Science and Engineering Week, the UK Ministry of Defense showcased the past, present and future of UAV history, including aircrafts currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and models to look out for going forward.

Fascinating chart from BBC News outlining the specifications of different-sized UAVs:

Very cool stuff. Check out the rest of the models displayed, both current and next-generation, right here.

Giant Eye in the Sky

Spy blimp. Seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it? However, the US government is planning to give new meaning to the term...

The Pentagon is looking to spend $400 million to purchase a 450-foot-long dirigible to keep a constant eye on boats, planes and even people twelve miles below without interruption. Plans include a trajectory 65,000 feet above sea level and it should be more than 20 times the size of the Goodyear Blimp. Wow.

Announced last week, ISIS (Integrated Sensor Is the Structure) will be produced through an agreement between the Air Force and DARPA and will be able to focus in on a diameter hundreds of miles wide. According to officials, the military blimp will greatly improve reconnaissance abilities and enable constant monitoring of small movements in exceptionally large, open areas.

"It is constant surveillance, uninterrupted," Werner J.A. Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force, said. "When you only have a short-time view -- whether it is a few hours or a few days -- that is not enough to put the picture together."

As the LA Times points out, this project represents a definite shift in Pentagon spending allocations and a push to improve military intelligence and surveillance operations -- while remaining sensitive to carbon emissions concerns and potential military dangers. Not visible to the naked eye, the unmanned aircraft won't be threatened by handheld missiles, most other surface-to-air missiles or many fighter jets. Plus, it will operate on hydrogen cells and solar panels and can stay in the air as long as ten years. Ten years!

While still many years from official release, if the initiative proves successful, ISIS could be just the beginning of an airship fleet! Amazing stuff.

Mark of the Penguins

They say no two adult African penguins have the same pattern of black spots on their chests. Until recently, however, scientists and researchers had yet to leverage this natural biometric phenomenon and long struggled with error-prone methods of tracking colonies with metal flipper bands.

With recent developments in the surveillance technologies used in wildlife tracking, researchers are now able to identify these unique marks and monitor individual birds in real-time over long periods.

First deployed on Robben Island in South Africa, a habitat for more than 20,000 birds, the software has not only been trained to recognize if there are any penguins in the camera's direct field of vision, but also to determine unique spot patterns to identify penguins and record the the bird's ID, in addition to the date, time and location of the sighting.

Researchers say the technology is adaptable to species other than penguins, too -- including cheetahs and sharks.

Bristol University Professor Barham, who developed the Penguin Recognition System, said, "For any species with patterned plumage, cheetahs or whale sharks for example, then the same technology could use the patterns as individual identifiers.

Exciting example of how biometric technology can be adapted to alternative habitats to eliminate the traditional manpower required and improve tracking accuracy, all the while drastically lowering costs. Think of it as facial recognition technology for the animal kingdom.

Look forward to seeing this technology adopted into other extreme environments, particularly species close to extinction. Maybe we go one step further past simple numbers tracking to learning more about daily habits and why some species are thriving and others dwindling (before they go extinct).

IHF Roundup: Body Odor as the New Lie Detector, Biometrics Invade Classrooms and Hospitals, and Other Top Headlines This Week

I've written a bunch about how facial recognition and fingerprinting are changing the face of biometric technologies on this blog -- but body odor as a new biometric identifier? Hadn't quite thought of that one. This week, DHS announced plans to study how body odor can be used to identity individuals (just like fingerprints). Looking forward to seeing how this innovation plays out...

The world of biometrics is receiving attention outside of law enforcement and in classrooms and hospitals, too. Earlier this week, I wrote a couple of posts on the use of facial recognition technology to take attendance in UK classrooms as well as biometric technologies popping up in hospitals nationwide. Who knows where they'll pop up next. I've got a feeling that I do.

Not only are biometrics taking shape in areas typically unaccustomed to these technologies, but the robotics world is expanding to other areas -- including Japanese classrooms and tomato farms. Saya, a robotic teacher, can express six different emotions, call roll and even smile at students. While developers say she's no replacement for human instructors, they hope it to be a solution for the growing labor shortage.

MIT, on the other hand, is developing robots not for the classroom, but rather for the greenhouse. The robots are part of a larger plant monitoring system and are able to water the tomato plants and dispense food when needed. Not only do these gardeners offer more exact feeding habits, but also a more economic gardening solution for massive farming grounds. As this CNET article reports, the researchers envision a fully automatic greenhouse going forward with robots running the operations entirely. They bring a new meaning to the term "green thumb".

Video surveillance standards have also been in the spotlight this week -- SecurityInfoWatch's Geoff Kohl hosted a roundtable on the push for standardization not only in the US, but worldwide and what that will mean for end-users, integrators and product manufacturers. The Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF), in particular, kicked off in Germany earlier this year and this week announced 18 new member companies that have joined the group. Exciting to see these finally taking shape and thrilled to see what comes out on the other end.

Finally, great post from @ShawnF on the growing use of Twitter in the security industry. Check out the post here -- or even better, follow me @TheSteveRussell on Twitter!

Biometrics: Coming Soon to A Hospital Near You

With biometric technologies rapidly improving and prices dropping, more and more industries and sectors are looking to improve security and data management with these capabilities. Amusement parks, graduate school tests and even community colleges are already taking the plunge, and healthcare centers nationwide are next with smart cards, fingerprint, vascular and iris biometrics making appearances in select hospitals.

Healthcare IT consultant Mike Wisz points out in this article that healthcare centers are hotbeds for misidentification, privacy breaches, transcription errors and insurance fraud -- it was only a matter of time before these technologies made their way into ORs and hospital wings to improve the accuracy and integrity of medical care. In a service industry with drastic consequences, utilizing biometrics to automate authentication procedures has long been in the works. However, kinks still need to be worked out to ensure the technology's long-term viability in the industry.

Implementing fingerprinting in hospitals, in particular, poses some interesting challenges. The typical procedure involves users manually entering a user ID, then pressing their exposed index finger over the reading device. Read: prints require skin contact with the device, and therefore are susceptible to germs and bacteria spreading. In a hospital? I don't think so. A few more hurdles for that one...

Vascular and iris biometrics, on the other hand, are up and coming and do not require skin contact; however, they do come with much larger pricetags and untested patient waters.

Urban Health Plan in Bronx, N.Y. is one of the first health centers in the country to utilize iris identification technology to perform instantaneous iris pattern scans in order to effectively authenticate individuals. Vascular biometrics, on the other hand, circumvent contact issues between readers and people by scanning underneath the skin via passive infrared technology to illuminate veins and record images associated uniquely to individuals. Both remain largely unfamiliar to patients, and in such a serious environment as a hospital offers, that obstacle will be hard to bypass.

However, the payoffs are pretty significant -- like in other industries such as retail, we can predict that the investment in upgraded biometrics equipment for hospitals will be most quickly apparent in reduced insurance and fraud cases, while also continuing to address ongoing issues surrounding the misidentification of patients. Seems simple enough, but mistakes still do happen.

I don't know about you, but if given the option, I'd rather have my irises scanned or fingerprints taken that having to stare down all those mountains of paperwork. But even better than both might be good old facial recognition. No touching, no staring, and no scanning. Hospitals have enough of that already.

What's That Smell?

DHS is looking into further studies around the viability of utilizing human body odor as the next biometric identifier.

The goal of the research is twofold. Firstly, DHS hopes to determine if odors can serve as an "indicator of deception" and secondly, to show support for the theory that each individual's scent is completely one-of-a-kind.

According to this Washington Times article, "Scientific research shows that so-called volatile organic compounds present in human sweat, saliva and urine can be analyzed using a technique known as gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry." Research has even shown that unique compound combinations in sweat -- a natural secretion for all human beings -- might differentiate one individual from another!

However, with such an erratic substance, challenges are inevitable:

"The reason for the variation in distinctiveness is unclear," Royal Society in London researchers said. More importantly, the odors of some people changed during the course of the study: "Not all subjects had consistent marker compounds over time, which might be due to physiological, dietary, or other changes."

Additionally, researchers still haven't determined the effects of "exogenous chemical contaminants" -- soaps, perfumes, colognes, cigarette smoke and other environmental elements that may alter or shield a person's natural odor. Obviously, there are many kinks to be worked out before real-world tests occur, and I have got stong feeling that "odor recognition" won't be an simple technology to get right. In any case, I am not holding my breath...wait, let me rethink that.

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

According to the United Kingdom Biometrics Institute, biometrics are taking schools by storm -- the group estimates about one million children have had fingerprints taken to borrow library books, pay for school dinners or other rudimentary activities, and some UK community colleges are taking these technologies to the next level.

St. Neots Community College in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and the City of Ely Community College are taking part in a pilot program to monitor students' presence on campus. As this article indicates, the process is quite streamlined and student check-in only takes about two seconds each time.

"When students check in or out of school, they enter a pin on to the keypad and look at the camera. The measurements from the photograph are matched against the student’s biometric identifier, and the time of arrival (or departure) is stored in the unit’s internal computer."

Not only reliable in recording attendance data (and with the added capability of providing accurate print-outs of students on campus in case of an emergency), the technology has turned out to be quite the shortcut in taking attendance compared to traditional methods. According to sources, the system saves staff members about ninety minutes each day in recording attendance data.

City of Ely Community College Principal Richard Barker said: "With this new registration technology, we are hoping to free up our teachers' time and allow them to spend it on what they are meant to be doing, which is teaching."

Ninety minutes of extra class time per day? That's a worthy investment in itself.

Crimefighting 2.0

New York Times' Brad Stone had a piece today featuring 3VR's CrimeDex service. The article reviews how Police and private organizations are using collaborative Web 2.0 approaches to track and fight crime. What does that mean exactly? Well if 3VR is "Google" for surveillance, then think of CrimeDex as "Facebook" for bad guys. Together the technologies make quite a pair.

From the NY Times:

CrimeDex, now owned by 3VR, a San Francisco company that makes an image recognition system for surveillance cameras, says it is used by more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies and private businesses like banks and retail chains. For a monthly fee, members can submit information, photographs and videos related to possible crimes and make comparisons with data from agencies that may be seeing similar patterns or suspects.

“It’s the digital equivalent of the old-fashioned Western sheriffs nailing a wanted poster to a tree,” Mr. Hudson said.

Some investigators swear by it. Carol Byrum, a vice president and senior investigator at Wells Fargo, said it helped prosecutors build a case against Eduard Kholstinin, a Russian national who was caught in 2007 using fabricated A.T.M. cards to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the accounts of California Wells Fargo customers.

After he was arrested in Oregon while carrying counterfeit driver’s licenses and credit cards in his car, the surveillance images that Ms. Byrum had posted to CrimeDex helped to link crimes in the two states. Mr. Kholstinin was convicted of money laundering and identity theft and is now serving a sentence in federal prison in Oregon.

3VR will be demonstrating a new and more advanced version of its CrimeDex service at the upcoming International Security Show (ISC) in Las Vegas in early April.

MS Clippy is Dead...Long Live Laura

No, Laura isn't actually a human being, but she's more life-like than Clippy, the annoying Microsoft Office 97 digital assistant.

Fast forward more than ten years from Clippy's birth to that of Laura, a virtual assistant that rather than help correct grammatical errors, write a letter or navigate the Microsoft Office UI, helps to schedule travel reservations and book movie tickets. She even recognizes your attire and knows if you're engaged in a conversation so as to not interrupt -- quite the improvement from Clippy if you ask me,

Unfortunately, Laura has yet to come in other shapes or sizes.

IHF Roundup: No More Lost Luggage in Lisbon and Milan, Biometric System Deployments Abound and Other Top Headlines This Week

Looks like customer complaints over lost baggage have sparked change -- at least in Europe. Both the Lisbon Airport and Milan’s Malpensa Airport have switched to RFID-enabled baggage tracking systems, eliminating unreliable bar-coded tagging from transfer baggage procedures. Many Americans will be thrilled at the thought of this initiative making its way overseas, particularly this guy.

Robots may be next on the scene to rescue injured soldiers -- or protect the coast and waters from pirates! Researchers hope that the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital will be replaced by a robotic "Trauma Pod" within ten years -- think M*A*S*H but with robotic surgeons and nurses instead. In due time, the robots will be able to insert intravenous lines and even deliver drugs to patients. Wow.

The Pentagon is also looking to utilize robotics in another field of Homeland Security to prevent piracy and terrorism in waterways. Unmanned "bot boats" can be deployed from the shores, helicopter and parachutes, can chase and ram vessels, and even utilize weapons like water cannons and sound-blast devices to scare off predatory ships. From the looks of other robotics technology on the rise, seeing robots on the water might not be so strange -- particularly if they're feeding you at the dinner table or performing surgery at the hospital. Great pictorial feature from the Boston Globe to check out here.

With the International Biometrics Group reporting expected growth of the global biometrics market to jump from $3.4 billion to $9.4 billion between 2009 and 2014, it's no surprise that fingerprint authentication, iris scans and facial recognition systems have started to pop up in areas like hospitals and even schools (more around this to come next week). While airports have long utilized biometrics in customs and security checkpoints, biometric-enabled access control is another feature on the rise, and standards for the technology's deployment are finally starting to be put in place.

Looks like South Korea is itching to get a jumpstart in that growing market. As a pioneering country in the security systems and equipment industry with a rich history as a technological innovator, it hopes that this experience will propel it into the manufacturing of the four key biometric authentication technologies: fingerprint, iris, face and vein recognition.

Sooner or later, biometric and surveillance technologies, previously isolated to law enforcement and government agencies, will find themselves in every mundane aspect of life. You might even find evidence of them in your own body -- or a friend's.

Cameras, Cameras Everywhere!

Interesting news out of the UK — a select few people have now been fitted with "bionic eyes" to cure their loss of sight.

In the video above, a doctor explains how 73-year-old Ron, who lost his sight due to retinitis pegmentosa, is able to see for the first time in 30 years. Amazing stuff.

This medical innovation, coupled with a filmmaker's move to install a mini camera into his prosthetic eye to "make documentaries and raise awareness about surveillance in society," show that technology can really go anywhere.

Soon enough, cameras really will be…everywhere.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

The NYPD has their hands full these days -- according to recent news articles, bank robberies are up 26 percent in New York City from this time last year and authorities are scrambling to find a solution.

Seems that some banks are smarter than others, and the same goes for criminals. Many have installed new camera networks and employed increased security efforts to combat the upswing, and robbers are quickly identifying the easier targets from the more challenging. After making three unsuccessful robbery attemps at three different Chase branches, one thief targeted a TD Bank in Midtown and walked off with $1,000. Indeed, according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, "TD Banks are the most vulnerable in the city".

The NYPD is also seeking public assistance in catching a suspected bank robber wanted in connection with seven attempts in the past month. During each incident, the suspect has entered the bank, approached the teller, demanded cash and fled on foot. According to reports, he has attempted robberies at Wachovia, HSBC, Chase, Sovereign and Capital One.

I have a feeling I know where he's headed next.

Shield Yourself From Prying Eyes: The EFF Launches Surveillance Self-Defense Effort

Earlier today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) launched its Surveillance Self-Defense project. Designed to "educate Americans about the law and technology of communications surveillance and computer searches and seizures, and to provide the information and tools necessary to keep their private data out of the government's hands," the online guide informs readers on many ways to shield personal data from government eyes.

Ways to avoid security risks to your computer? Check. Tips to protect personal data form law enforcement officials? Check. Defensive ideas around surveillance and terrorism investigations? Check. Check.

"You can imagine the Internet as a giant vacuum cleaner, sucking up all of the private information that you let near it. We want to show people the tools they can use to encrypt and anonymize data, protecting themselves against government surveillance," said EFF Staff Technologist Peter Eckersley. "Privacy is about mitigating risks and making tradeoffs. Every decision you make about whether to save an email, chat online, or search with or sign into Google has privacy implications. It's important to understand those implications and make informed decisions based on them, and we hope that Surveillance Self-Defense will help you do that."

It's can be as simple as managing account passwords securely, but staying abreast of your privacy rights as an individual and taking steps to protect them are two critical ways to ensure these rights aren't infringed upon.

We may live in an increasingly paperless world, but that doesn't mean information exchanged via the Internet is any safer from spying eyes. Take the hint and peruse the guide to learn what you're not doing to protect yourself.

It's A Small World After All

Alton Towers, a UK amusement park, has started offering a personalized movie to each park visitor who wants to chronicle their day at the park.

Families are issued an RFID tag that is automatically scanned and registered as they walk through the park. The RFID numbers are then used to collect any relevant surveillance video from areas and times when the RFID tags are scanned. Even on those high-speed rollercoasters, the video cameras use "super slow motion" to capture quality footage. The video is then assembled together into a “YourDay” DVD to take home upon exiting the park.

Every traumatic interaction with a park mascot, every meal on a stick and every painstaking minute of waiting in line can now be yours, starting at the low price of £6.99. Quite the deal.

One Step Closer to Minority Report-Style Iris Scanning

AOptix and competitors including Retica Systems and Sarnoff Corporation (and its new Iris on the Move product), have long touted their ability to scan a human iris from a distance and even while the person is moving.

The technology is designed to blend the accuracy of iris recognition with the passive interaction of a surveillance camera and now AOptix is claiming to provide this ability at up to 2.5 meters! Here is an excerpt from from their latest press release:

"By using adaptive optics the company is able to correct for a subject’s motion and gain better focus, Phil Tusa [the company’s vice president of biometric programs] says. The system is also able to capture both iris images from a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 meters."

Iris-at-a-distance and iris-on-the-move are emerging sectors in the biometric market; however, Tusa argues that Aoptix has a unique approach to managing operations.

“Our concept is to ask the subject for two seconds to look at the device and open their eyes,” he says. “This will greatly improve matching accuracy results and we’re not going to have bad images.”

Here is an interview with Tusa:

Let me tell you, their stuff works. Over a year ago, I had the opportunity to see this product while it was still in the lab. Technicians then were able to capture and identify my iris at over 2.5 meters. Pretty impressive stuff -- and that was over a year ago!

Beverly Hills 48025

It seems that my old high school in Beverly Hills, Michigan has found itself embroiled in a debate over the use of surveillance in its hallways after cash, MP3 players and cell phones were stolen from several lockers. While this may signal a loss in trust in the community, it could also be reflective of the expensive nature of many items commonly found in lockers nowadays.

"It's one more sign that times are different today," Jim Ballard, executive director of the Michigan Association of Principals, said. "Years ago, we trusted each other more than we do now.”

I can also tell you firsthand that years ago, we students didn’t keep a lot of cash, MP3 players and cell phones in our lockers. Heck, if you broke into mine, you would have been lucky to find some old textbooks, gym socks and a Daisy Duke poster. Not quite a treasure trove of goods compared to what's readily available today.

But whether or not what students put into their lockers is valuable, the students themselves are pretty valuable, and it seems to me they deserve at least the same level of protection afforded to the malls they hang out in.

However, not all the students think new security measures are such a good idea.

Seaholm student Jake Drutchas wrote the following comment on the wall of a Facebook group called, "Seaholm and Groves Students Against Security Cameras," which has more than 870 members, "For now, let's start with a little student responsibility. Lock your stuff up. Don't leave it out in the open."

He has a point, but it’s also true that school security deployments have nearly always proven a smart development. I think Jake's argument is more founded on the fear that the same surveillance technology used to fight locker thefts will be turned on him for reasons other than safety.

Will the cameras be monitored all the time or just used to investigate incidents? Who will have access to the cameras and for what purposes? Lots and lots of very good questions.

If Beverly Hills Groves follows the national trend, they too will get security cameras installed -- if not this year, then sometime in the not-too-distant future. However, Jake Drutchas and his Facebook posse can continue to put their passion and energy on the issue to good use by helping the district draft a clear and responsible policy with respect to the use of surveillance inside their hallways.

There certainly are ways to balance security and privacy inside of educational institutions, and I think you will find the hippie baby-boomers who run school districts these days are more than open to them.