Face Masks Confuse Facial Recognition Technology
Notably, the NIST test focused on one-to-one matching of a face against a single photo, as you might do to unlock a cellphone or at a passport checkpoint. One-to-one systems are carried out under conditions of near-ideal lighting and camera placement, and so are more reliable than one-to-many matches of faces against databases that are conducted during surveillance of public places. Masks should be expected to be even more effective at increasing failure rates of one-to-many facial recognition systems.
"The more of the nose a mask covers, the lower the algorithm's accuracy," the NIST report adds of the digitally simulated coverings used in the study. "The study explored three levels of nose coverage—low, medium and high—finding that accuracy degrades with greater nose coverage."
Perhaps more surprisingly, black masks turned out to defeat matching algorithms more thoroughly than did light-blue masks. The researchers speculate that very dark and very light masks might confuse cameras' automatic light-exposure controls. So, the ninja look isn't just aesthetically pleasing, it's also practical from a privacy perspective.
Notably, the NIST test focused on one-to-one matching of a face against a single photo, as you might do to unlock a cellphone or at a passport checkpoint. One-to-one systems are carried out under conditions of near-ideal lighting and camera placement, and so are more reliable than one-to-many matches of faces against databases that are conducted during surveillance of public places. Masks should be expected to be even more effective at increasing failure rates of one-to-many facial recognition systems.
"The more of the nose a mask covers, the lower the algorithm's accuracy," the NIST report adds of the digitally simulated coverings used in the study. "The study explored three levels of nose coverage—low, medium and high—finding that accuracy degrades with greater nose coverage."
Perhaps more surprisingly, black masks turned out to defeat matching algorithms more thoroughly than did light-blue masks. The researchers speculate that very dark and very light masks might confuse cameras' automatic light-exposure controls. So, the ninja look isn't just aesthetically pleasing, it's also practical from a privacy perspective.