The tech companies are not the only ones making use of facial recognition technology. Now, Taylor Swift has been reported to have used it in May this year at one of her concerts – the one held at the Rose Bowl in California.
During the show, there was situated kiosk equipped with videos screens playing clips from Swift’s rehearsals for the show. That kiosk was manned by Swift’s people and it was responsible for scanning the face of those who stared at it.
There was also a command post in Nashville that was ready at the same time to compare the faces scanned against a database of Swift’s stalkers. What were they trying to do? Swift’s people were trying to figure out who could be a troublemaker once they walked into the concert area.
Rolling Stone reports that the attendee’s faces were cross-referenced with a database of hundreds of the singer’s familiar stalkers. Everyone who stepped into the area where the kiosk was would be attracted by the rehearsal and views it.
It appears that the singer knows just what risks there are, although it also appears to be a creepy invasion of privacy or savvy use of technology. Of course, the singer understands what type of danger she is in just for being a celeb.
One of her stalkers, it was reported, got six months in prison this December for breaking into her apartment to take a shower and nap. When commentators tried to reach her for information about the technology, they declined.
It may be logical for a musician to use facial recognition during a private show, it may have not been such a good idea to do the same at a large show.
Reports coming out now say the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is talking about Swift’s use of facial recognition technology during her show. One of the latest blog posts from the Union has outlined some concerns about the singer’s use of that technology.
The Union understands the threats posed by stalkers but at the same time it warns against the tech by saying that people should not rush into embracing the tech without checks and balances just to make sure it is not abused.
