Security lapse exposed a Chinese smart city surveillance system (opens in new tab)

(techcrunch.com)

212 pointsgulbrandr7y ago31 comments

31 comments

21 comments · 7 top-level

MeteorMarc7y ago· 6 in thread

Curious that they have a column "attractive" in the person's features which seems to correlate with age ...

They're likely using a commercial facial recognition system which includes that feature for demos at trade shows. People love getting external validation, which also explains why the scores are all greater than 70.

Edit: E.g. this article mentions a system being demoed with that feature: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/04/03/598012923/...

saagarjha7y ago

Numbers don’t really say much unless you pin them to what they’re measuring: they might not be calibrated against a percentile. For example, on a linear scale with 0 being “horrendous” and 100 being “insanely attractive”, I’d rate most of the people I know much closer to 70 than a 50: the average person could stand to look a lot worse.

1 more reply

crehn7y ago

Curious about the other variables affecting it. Perhaps facial feature ratios compared to some gold standard?

bonoboTP7y ago

It is probably just trained on labeled data.

HNLurker27y ago

The in... in me: good jaw not weak chin, great forehead size, eyecolor with eyebrows, and overall Cha... Good face structure with low body fat 12%-13%

Angostura7y ago

Could well be a simple symmetry measure.

1 more reply

CallMePK7y ago· 5 in thread

This is just so sad. 1984 is not supposed to be a manual.

simonh7y ago

I read an interview with a former KGB officer who said that, while the book was formally banned in the soviet union, it was circulated among national security types as a useful fund of ideas.

pchr87y ago

Do you have a link for the interview?

1 more reply

lioeters7y ago

Seeing the phrase "smart city" was the trigger for me, the stink of Newspeak and Doublethink is unmistakable. Shame on Eurasia, I mean, Eastasia..

chmars7y ago

Neither the Snowden leaks. In many countries, the became the blueprint for new security laws …

chapium7y ago

China has a very different view of personal liberty.

yohann3057y ago· 2 in thread

from the article: “The security researcher passed details of the database to TechCrunch in an effort to get the data secured”

How is the data more secured by sending it to a news agency? Can someone explain? IMHO it’s the exact opposite, data is getting more eyeballs now, right?

wigginus7y ago

Secure(d) has two meanings, in this case it has the meaning "obtained".

See #10 at https://www.dictionary.com/browse/secure.

curuinor7y ago

Schneier is of the opinion that the threat of full disclosure is what makes 'responsible' disclosure work, if i recall correctly

https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2007/01/schneier_fu...

Now, obviously, this cycle hasn't been gone through in the PRC

isoprophlex7y ago· 1 in thread

[flagged]

deogeo7y ago

On the bright side, at least they make sure their technology works for minorities as well. Perhaps the egalitarian ideas of the West are finally starting to take hold there.

AFascistWorld7y ago

Recently China captured a fugitive when he was sending friends to board a plane, 4 images with 98% similarity captured by the airport's cameras.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3007827/chin...

baud1472587y ago

> Elasticsearch database

Considering that ES db aren't secured by default, it's not surprising that someone downloaded the data

headsoup7y ago

Surely this is one of those technological advances where on reviewing the 'should we' it becomes clear the negatives far outweigh the positives and it is stopped... Surely.

Reminds me of a radio interview I heard this morning from a mining CEO awaiting environmental sign-off for a new mine: equipment and resources ready to get going with a couple of days notice. Not even a matter of if, but when.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

31 comments

21 comments · 7 top-level

MeteorMarc7y ago· 6 in thread

Curious that they have a column "attractive" in the person's features which seems to correlate with age ...

yorwba7y ago

Edit: E.g. this article mentions a system being demoed with that feature: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/04/03/598012923/...

saagarjha7y ago

1 more reply

crehn7y ago

Curious about the other variables affecting it. Perhaps facial feature ratios compared to some gold standard?

bonoboTP7y ago

It is probably just trained on labeled data.

HNLurker27y ago

The in... in me: good jaw not weak chin, great forehead size, eyecolor with eyebrows, and overall Cha... Good face structure with low body fat 12%-13%

Angostura7y ago

Could well be a simple symmetry measure.

1 more reply

CallMePK7y ago· 5 in thread

This is just so sad. 1984 is not supposed to be a manual.

simonh7y ago

I read an interview with a former KGB officer who said that, while the book was formally banned in the soviet union, it was circulated among national security types as a useful fund of ideas.

pchr87y ago

Do you have a link for the interview?

1 more reply

lioeters7y ago

Seeing the phrase "smart city" was the trigger for me, the stink of Newspeak and Doublethink is unmistakable. Shame on Eurasia, I mean, Eastasia..

chmars7y ago

Neither the Snowden leaks. In many countries, the became the blueprint for new security laws …

chapium7y ago

China has a very different view of personal liberty.

yohann3057y ago· 2 in thread

from the article: “The security researcher passed details of the database to TechCrunch in an effort to get the data secured”

How is the data more secured by sending it to a news agency? Can someone explain? IMHO it’s the exact opposite, data is getting more eyeballs now, right?

wigginus7y ago

Secure(d) has two meanings, in this case it has the meaning "obtained".

See #10 at https://www.dictionary.com/browse/secure.

curuinor7y ago

Schneier is of the opinion that the threat of full disclosure is what makes 'responsible' disclosure work, if i recall correctly

https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2007/01/schneier_fu...

Now, obviously, this cycle hasn't been gone through in the PRC

isoprophlex7y ago· 1 in thread

[flagged]

deogeo7y ago

On the bright side, at least they make sure their technology works for minorities as well. Perhaps the egalitarian ideas of the West are finally starting to take hold there.

AFascistWorld7y ago

Recently China captured a fugitive when he was sending friends to board a plane, 4 images with 98% similarity captured by the airport's cameras.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3007827/chin...

baud1472587y ago

> Elasticsearch database

Considering that ES db aren't secured by default, it's not surprising that someone downloaded the data

headsoup7y ago

Surely this is one of those technological advances where on reviewing the 'should we' it becomes clear the negatives far outweigh the positives and it is stopped... Surely.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse