Ticketmaster is creating a facial recognition database of concert goers
Just over a year ago, Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, revealed a project to leave behind the use of physical tickets to access a concert or sporting event. In partnership with tech company Blink Identity, they planned to use facial recognition to identify concert-goers, digital forensics specialists reported.
“We are looking to invest in new
technologies to make the gap between Ticketmaster and its competitors even
bigger,” says the Live Nation statement announcing this project. “The
technology of Blink Identity will allow us to establish a link between your
face and a digital ticket, so the lines to enter a concert will be
over.” Although there is no real
advance on this project, and it is not yet known whether Blink’s technology is
really capable of achieving it, the idea continues to gain followers within the
company.
Although the idea would seem to apply
technological advances for the convenience of attendees to massive events and
the safety of artists, staff and the general public, experts in digital
forensics mention that the use of facial
recognition remains a theme controversial due to the legitimate or
malicious uses that this activity could have. Last year, organizers of Taylor
Swift’s US concert tour quietly used a facial recognition module to identify
one of the pop star’s multiple online stalkers; despite questions about
privacy, the organizers argued that this measure was taken for the protection
of the singer. This type of technology also helped lead to the arrest of a
wanted criminal in China, detected at a concert by popular Asian artist Jacky
Cheung.
The civil organization Fight for the Future,
created for the defense of digital rights, has spoken out against Live Nation’s
plans to implement this technology in concerts. The organization features Tom
Morello, a renowned musician and political activist, and members of the band
Speedy Ortiz among its most prominent members.
According to experts in digital forensics, this
association of musicians considers that it is unwise to implement facial
recognition as an alternative to using a ticket, as this technology can be
easily used against fans. “I have decided to join this campaign calling
Ticketmaster to not continue with this project. I don’t want Big Brother to be present
at my shows; fans would be exposed to harassment, deportation or arbitrary
arrests,” said Tom Morello via his Twitter account.
A representative of Fight for the Future
stated: “Attendees of these kinds of events should feel safe, not exposed
to systemic surveillance. Facial recognition is one of the most intrusive
surveillance techniques; it allows any person’s tracking in the middle of a
crowd under discriminatory criteria”.
It’s not just private companies with plans for
facial recognition implementation. According to digital forensics experts from
the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS), the London Metropolitan
Police has also been collaborating in the creation of databases for facial recognition.
Moreover, in the US, President Trump’s administration plans to make this
technology a standard for any airport or border crossing.
Gloss