Clearview AI, a facial recognition company that has over 30 billion images scraped without consent from social media platforms has made a startling admission. The company admitted that it has run nearly a million searches for the US police, according to a BBC report.

Clearview AI, a facial recognition company that has over 30 billion images scraped without consent from social media platforms has made a startling admission. The company admitted that it has run nearly a million searches for the US police, according to a BBC report. The publication interviewed CEO Hoan Ton-That who admitted to the number. Similarly, Miami Police confirmed that the department had been using the software for every type of crime. Clearview allows law enforcement officers to upload a photo of the face which is then matched with the database of billions of images. Considered one of the most powerful and accurate face recognition companies, Clearview's AI then provides links to the matching images, rather instantly. Miami's Assistant Chief of Police Armando Aguilar conceded that his troops used the tool over 450 times a year but only relied to put a face on the accused - often reverting to old-fashioned police work to nab the culprit. "We don't make an arrest because an algorithm tells us to. We either put that name in a photographic line-up or we go about solving the case through traditional means," said Aguilar. Despite US cities like Seattle, San Franciso and Portland banning the use of the surveillance software, the sheer number of search requests suggests that far more cities and their police departments were availing the services. ALSO READ | Italy bans facial recognition tech, restricts use to fighting crime The detractors of the service argue that the mega collection of photos and the indiscriminate use by the law authorities keeps everyone in a 'perpetual police setup' - akin to the dystopia of a censored state. Moreover, there have been reports suggesting that AI has mistaken the identity of individuals, In several cases, the wrong person has been charged or arrested - leading to aspersions being cast over the efficiency of Clearview's AI software. WATCH | World Business Watch: Italy outlaws facial recognition tech using biometric data × When quizzed if Ton-That will be willing to get his software tested in front of a court for its accuracy, the CEO replied in negative. "We don't really want to be in court testifying about the accuracy of the algorithm...because the investigators, they're using other methods to also verify it." The US-based company is banned from selling its services to private companies after American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) took it to court for breaking privacy laws. However, it continues to provide services to law enforcement agencies. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US police used Clearview facial recognition software over one million times: Report

Indian passengers can now board domestic flights hassle-free out of Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi airports by registering for a biometric facial recognition platform, DigiYatra (DY). It will enable paperless travel through biometric facial recognition technology, which means that a facial scan will confirm the identity of DY-registered passengers. All the travel details will be captured on this platform and passengers will not need to show any physical ID proof.

This technology will be launched with seven airports in the first phase, starting with Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi on Thursday. By March next year, the same facility will be launched in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada airports.&nbsp;

The aviation ministry has planned to take this technology further to all Indian airports gradually which will reduce the boarding time of passengers, making their travel hassle-free.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/its-a-plane-its-a-drone-no-its-a-bird-armys-new-anti-drone-weapon-539319">It's a plane, it's a drone, no it's a bird: Indian Army's new anti-drone weapon</a>

Jyotiradiyta Scindia, the Minister of Aviation, said, "The project envisages travellers pass through various checkpoints at airports through paperless and contactless processing using facial features to establish their identity which could be linked to their boarding pass. To use this facility, one-time registration on DY App is required using Aadhaar-based validation and a self-image capture. The project has tremendous advantages of improving passenger convenience and ease of travel."&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hon’ble Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/MoCA_GoI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoCA_GoI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JM_Scindia</a> inaugurated <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DigiYatra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DigiYatra</a> at Terminal 3, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DelhiAirport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DelhiAirport</a>, offering passengers a more seamless and hassle-free boarding experience with facial recognition technology. 
 
Skip the queue and save time!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DELairport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DELairport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FacialRecognition?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FacialRecognition</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DigitalIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DigitalIndia</a> <a href="https://t.co/rpe0FRUYk4">pic.twitter.com/rpe0FRUYk4</a>
— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) <a href="https://twitter.com/DelhiAirport/status/1598239345080733696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The DY project is taken in the wake of the revival of post-Omicron-variant Covid cases, as long queues are back at airports right from terminal entry to check-in, security, and immigration. Though using DY is optional for passengers, for now, they can instead show their physical IDs as well, which will streamline the entire process of boarding passengers.&nbsp;

Scindia gave the example of Dubai International Airport which uses the same technology and is saving up to 40 per cent of the time required to be spent at the airport.&nbsp;

<h2>What is the process to enroll for Digi Yatra?</h2>

a) Passengers can generate a Digi Yatra ID in a central system by providing the following information: 
1. Name, 2. Email Address, 3. Phone Number 4. Personal Information (Voter Id, Driving License, Aadhar, etc)

b) A Digi Yatra Id will be generated upon submission. This number can be used by passengers when booking their tickets. The airlines will send passenger data, including Digi Yatra IDs, to the departure airport.

Watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scdab6-Wp5s">World Business Watch: Agri tech start-up investment add $4.6 billion in FY 22 | Latest News | WION</a>

c) On their first trip, passengers must go to the airport's registration kiosk to have their ID validated. 
1. In the case of Aadhar, verification will be done online. 2. CISF will manually verify any other id. 
After successful verification, the passenger's photo will be added to the Digi Yatra profile in the central system.

<h2>What are the benefits of Digi Yatra for passengers?</h2>

1. No need to show a boarding pass or ID at multiple checkpoints.

2. Minimize human intervention that will help in less queuing time.

3. Enhanced security with system mapping the PNR of the passenger.&nbsp;

4. The airport operator will have real-time information on Passenger load and resource planning becomes better.

5. Airlines will be benefitted by knowing the passenger position in the airport.

Digi Yatra is built on four key pillars- Connected Passengers, Connected Airports, Connected Flying, and Connected Systems.&nbsp;

Indian passengers can now board domestic flights hassle-free out of Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi airports by registering for a biometric facial recognition platform, DigiYatra (DY).

Indian passengers can now board domestic flights hassle-free out of Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi airports by registering for a biometric facial recognition platform, DigiYatra (DY). It will enable paperless travel through biometric facial recognition technology, which means that a facial scan will confirm the identity of DY-registered passengers. All the travel details will be captured on this platform and passengers will not need to show any physical ID proof. This technology will be launched with seven airports in the first phase, starting with Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi on Thursday. By March next year, the same facility will be launched in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada airports. The aviation ministry has planned to take this technology further to all Indian airports gradually which will reduce the boarding time of passengers, making their travel hassle-free. Also Read | It's a plane, it's a drone, no it's a bird: Indian Army's new anti-drone weapon Jyotiradiyta Scindia, the Minister of Aviation, said, "The project envisages travellers pass through various checkpoints at airports through paperless and contactless processing using facial features to establish their identity which could be linked to their boarding pass. To use this facility, one-time registration on DY App is required using Aadhaar-based validation and a self-image capture. The project has tremendous advantages of improving passenger convenience and ease of travel." Hon’ble Minister @MoCA_GoI @JM_Scindia inaugurated #DigiYatra at Terminal 3, #DelhiAirport, offering passengers a more seamless and hassle-free boarding experience with facial recognition technology. Skip the queue and save time!#DELairport #FacialRecognition #DigitalIndia pic.twitter.com/rpe0FRUYk4 — Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 1, 2022 × The DY project is taken in the wake of the revival of post-Omicron-variant Covid cases, as long queues are back at airports right from terminal entry to check-in, security, and immigration. Though using DY is optional for passengers, for now, they can instead show their physical IDs as well, which will streamline the entire process of boarding passengers. Scindia gave the example of Dubai International Airport which uses the same technology and is saving up to 40 per cent of the time required to be spent at the airport. What is the process to enroll for Digi Yatra? a) Passengers can generate a Digi Yatra ID in a central system by providing the following information: 1. Name, 2. Email Address, 3. Phone Number 4. Personal Information (Voter Id, Driving License, Aadhar, etc) b) A Digi Yatra Id will be generated upon submission. This number can be used by passengers when booking their tickets. The airlines will send passenger data, including Digi Yatra IDs, to the departure airport. Watch | World Business Watch: Agri tech start-up investment add $4.6 billion in FY 22 | Latest News | WION c) On their first trip, passengers must go to the airport's registration kiosk to have their ID validated. 1. In the case of Aadhar, verification will be done online. 2. CISF will manually verify any other id. After successful verification, the passenger's photo will be added to the Digi Yatra profile in the central system. What are the benefits of Digi Yatra for passengers? 1. No need to show a boarding pass or ID at multiple checkpoints. 2. Minimize human intervention that will help in less queuing time. 3. Enhanced security with system mapping the PNR of the passenger. 4. The airport operator will have real-time information on Passenger load and resource planning becomes better. 5. Airlines will be benefitted by knowing the passenger position in the airport. Digi Yatra is built on four key pillars- Connected Passengers, Connected Airports, Connected Flying, and Connected Systems.

No more standing in long queues, use face as ID on airports with new Digi Yatra rollout

Chinese technology giant Huawei &nbsp;is retroceding on a patent application it filed for a facial recognition system intended to identify Uyghurs from other Chinese ethnicities.

Huawei patent from 2018 describes the technology used to identify race features in pedestrians photographed or filmed in the street that may indicate they are of Uighur origin.

Huawei, however, said it will delete the reference to "Uighur" in the patent upon permission from China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the BBC reported, quoting a spokesperson.

"Huawei opposes discrimination of all types, including the use of technology to carry out ethnic discrimination," Huawei said.

As per a report by The Washington Post, Huawei has worked with at least four partner companies to develop surveillance technologies that claim to monitor people by ethnicity.

According to the report, it's artificial intelligence surveillance technology, which includes a face-scanning camera system that can send a "Uighur alarm" to police after detecting a member of the group, has sparked an international outcry against one of China's most valuable tech companies.

Classified documents known as the China Cables, accessed last year by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, threw light on how the Chinese government uses technology to control Uighur Muslims worldwide.

United Nations officials have said China is transforming the Xinjiang region, where many Uighurs live, into a “massive internment camp”.

However, China regularly denies such mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training, while people in the internment camps have described being subjected to forced political indoctrination, torture, beatings, and denial of food and medicine, and say they have been prohibited from practising their religion or speaking their language.

(With inputs from agencies)

Chinese technology giant Huawei is retroceding on a patent application it filed for a facial recognition system intended to identify Uyghurs from other Chinese ethnicities.

Chinese technology giant Huawei is retroceding on a patent application it filed for a facial recognition system intended to identify Uyghurs from other Chinese ethnicities. Huawei patent from 2018 describes the technology used to identify race features in pedestrians photographed or filmed in the street that may indicate they are of Uighur origin. Huawei, however, said it will delete the reference to "Uighur" in the patent upon permission from China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the BBC reported, quoting a spokesperson. "Huawei opposes discrimination of all types, including the use of technology to carry out ethnic discrimination," Huawei said. As per a report by The Washington Post, Huawei has worked with at least four partner companies to develop surveillance technologies that claim to monitor people by ethnicity. According to the report, it's artificial intelligence surveillance technology, which includes a face-scanning camera system that can send a "Uighur alarm" to police after detecting a member of the group, has sparked an international outcry against one of China's most valuable tech companies. Classified documents known as the China Cables, accessed last year by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, threw light on how the Chinese government uses technology to control Uighur Muslims worldwide. United Nations officials have said China is transforming the Xinjiang region, where many Uighurs live, into a “massive internment camp”. However, China regularly denies such mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training, while people in the internment camps have described being subjected to forced political indoctrination, torture, beatings, and denial of food and medicine, and say they have been prohibited from practising their religion or speaking their language. (With inputs from agencies)

China’s Huawei backtracks after filing for patent of AI software that could recognise Uighurs

Computer engineers in Chicago have developed a tool to protect one's online photos from facial recognition.

In an attempt to foil facial recognition&nbsp;technologies, the&nbsp;researchers from the University of Chicago have&nbsp;has developed a tool that disguises photos with pixel-level changes that confuse facial recognition systems.

The tool called&nbsp;Fawkes, named after Guy&nbsp;Fawkes,&nbsp;the software was made available to developers on the researchers' website last month.

It has been downloaded more than 50,000 times after a&nbsp;free app version&nbsp;was introduced for non-coders.

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In the researchers' parlance,&nbsp;Fawkes "cloaks" an image by subtly altering some of the features that facial recognition systems depend on when they construct a person's face print.

The tool and be a broadside if it is deployed&nbsp;against facial recognition systems, poisoning the accuracy of the data sets they gather from the Web.

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Dr Ben Zhao, a professor of computer science at the University of Chicago,&nbsp;said "Our goal is to make Clearview go away."

Many tech companies use&nbsp;scrapes&nbsp;billions of online photos to build tools for police to reveal a person's identity. This includes the infacial&nbsp;recognition&nbsp;technology company Clearview AI.

The New York-based company bills itself as a tool for law enforcement, scraping the internet for publicly available photos and using&nbsp;facial&nbsp;recognition&nbsp;to identify potential suspects and victims.

Critics raised concerns earlier this year about the lack of consent of those searched and the potential for misuse of the service, leading to a joint investigation launched in February into the company by the privacy commissioners of British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and the federal government.

The company is under investigation in Britain, Canada, and Australia&nbsp;where Clearview said it would no longer offer its&nbsp;facial&nbsp;recognition&nbsp;services.

Computer engineers in Chicago have developed a tool to protect one's online photos from facial recognition. In an attempt to foil facial recognition technologies, the researchers from the University of Chicago have has developed a tool that disguises photos with pixel-level changes that confuse facial recognition systems.

Computer engineers in Chicago have developed a tool to protect one's online photos from facial recognition. In an attempt to foil facial recognition technologies, the researchers from the University of Chicago have has developed a tool that disguises photos with pixel-level changes that confuse facial recognition systems. The tool called Fawkes, named after Guy Fawkes, the software was made available to developers on the researchers' website last month. It has been downloaded more than 50,000 times after a free app version was introduced for non-coders. Also read: Twitter could face a fine of upto $250 million for unauthorised usage of user data In the researchers' parlance, Fawkes "cloaks" an image by subtly altering some of the features that facial recognition systems depend on when they construct a person's face print. The tool and be a broadside if it is deployed against facial recognition systems, poisoning the accuracy of the data sets they gather from the Web. Also read: Spanish pizzeria takes social distancing to another level with new mobile application! Dr Ben Zhao, a professor of computer science at the University of Chicago, said "Our goal is to make Clearview go away." Many tech companies use scrapes billions of online photos to build tools for police to reveal a person's identity. This includes the infacial recognition technology company Clearview AI. The New York-based company bills itself as a tool for law enforcement, scraping the internet for publicly available photos and using facial recognition to identify potential suspects and victims. Critics raised concerns earlier this year about the lack of consent of those searched and the potential for misuse of the service, leading to a joint investigation launched in February into the company by the privacy commissioners of British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and the federal government. The company is under investigation in Britain, Canada, and Australia where Clearview said it would no longer offer its facial recognition services.

Engineers develop tool called 'Fawkes' to protect online photos from facial recognition

In an attempt to digitise air travel,&nbsp;Indian airports will soon have high-tech face recognition systems which will put an end to waiting&nbsp;in lines for hours to get through screening and security process.

The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation is planning to install facial-recognition systems at airports making the entire security process faster and passenger flow smoother.

Though few Indian airports like Bengaluru and Hyderabad are already working on the high-tech design, the aviation ministry is planning to make this a standard practice across all airports in India.&nbsp;

This high tech system is expected to be rolled out by January.

Travellers hailed the announcement. Adrian Cheok, an air traveller, said, "I found it to be efficient and I was pleasantly surprised that they were using technology like this and I sincerely hope that with the airport running at full speed, it'll shorten the time taken to get on board the aircraft." &nbsp;&nbsp;

Singapore’s Changi Airport is already using a fully automated check-in system such as facial scanning and computerised baggage drop Points, At Terminal 4.

Facial recognition systems will also be installed at US airports soon.

Orlando International Aiport will soon become the first US airport to use biometric systems to screen passengers.

The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation is planning to install facial-recognition systems at airports making the entire security process faster and passenger flow smoother

In an attempt to digitise air travel, Indian airports will soon have high-tech face recognition systems which will put an end to waiting in lines for hours to get through screening and security process. The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation is planning to install facial-recognition systems at airports making the entire security process faster and passenger flow smoother. Though few Indian airports like Bengaluru and Hyderabad are already working on the high-tech design, the aviation ministry is planning to make this a standard practice across all airports in India. This high tech system is expected to be rolled out by January. Travellers hailed the announcement. Adrian Cheok, an air traveller, said, "I found it to be efficient and I was pleasantly surprised that they were using technology like this and I sincerely hope that with the airport running at full speed, it'll shorten the time taken to get on board the aircraft." Singapore’s Changi Airport is already using a fully automated check-in system such as facial scanning and computerised baggage drop Points, At Terminal 4. Facial recognition systems will also be installed at US airports soon. Orlando International Aiport will soon become the first US airport to use biometric systems to screen passengers.

Indian airports soon to have high-tech facial recognition system