March 19, 2007
IBM examines video surveillance privacy
As technology improves and the need for heightened security in public places intensifies, video surveillance networks are becoming more prominent and thorough in their coverage. While the thought of widespread video monitoring is comforting to some, others find it to be a breech of privacy, often citing "Big Brother" in reference to the eyes in the sky.
IBM Corp. is looking to take steps towards squelching some of these privacy concerns in its foray into the video surveillance industry. Specifically, IBM researchers are taking a look at video analytics that can pick out faces in a crowd. Facial recognition is a tool used effectively by investigators looking to identify suspects amongst the masses, but it's those masses who might feel like their rights to privacy are being infringed upon. IBM is working on new techniques that will allow authorities to continue to effectively use the technology, while keeping the public's concerns in mind.
One solution is to only leave the faces of suspects clear, while everyone else in the frame is blurred. What makes this technique difficult is that the suspects must first be identified. With advanced video analytics, a camera can spot suspicious motion or behavior, or a situation where an object is left behind. In such instances, the surveillance system's digital video recorder could quickly rewind the action and unblur the face of the suspect for a clear picture of the scene in question.
Another solution is to blur all faces during surveillance recording, but allow access to the clear images if an investigation should warrant it.
While IBM hasn't been able to perfect a solution to the privacy issue just yet, and its real-time face blurring technology is still under development, the company seems committed to its efforts. It will be interesting to see if regulators and a wary public will be more accepting of this new technology when it does come to fruition.
Read more at WashingtonPost.com...
Posted by Dan on March 19, 2007 9:55 PM | Comments (0)
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