NSA Intercepting 'Millions Of Images' Per Day In Order To Fill Facial Recognition Database

from the all-your-face-are-belong-to-us dept

Mon, Jun 2nd 2014 3:33am — Tim Cushing

Laura Poitras and James Risen have released another NSA document at the New York Times -- this one detailing the agency's addition of faces to its haystacks.

The National Security Agency is harvesting huge numbers of images of people from communications that it intercepts through its global surveillance operations for use in sophisticated facial recognition programs, according to top-secret documents…

The agency intercepts “millions of images per day” — including about 55,000 “facial recognition quality images” — which translate into “tremendous untapped potential,” according to 2011 documents obtained from the former agency contractor Edward J. Snowden.

The "55,000" quoted here has undoubtedly grown over the past few years, and the agency's addition of facial recognition technology aligns it with the FBI's capabilities and similar efforts being pursued by local law enforcement agencies (with funding by the DHS). (The State Dept. also houses millions of photographs, thanks to its connection with the issuance of passports). What does put the NSA ahead of other efforts is the breadth of its existing collection programs, which give it much more connective data and communications to work with.

This also raises questions about other intelligence agencies' capabilities, specifically the UK's GCHQ, which was revealed to have harvested webcam images from more than 1.8 million Yahoo users between 2008-2010. This was termed a joint collection project with the NSA, so both agencies benefitted from the GCHQ's webcam spying.

Why is the NSA constructing a biometric database? According to the documents, it's just another counterterrorism tool, part of a "full arsenal approach" that "digitally exploits" data scattered across the web by its users. But an equally large part of the "why" is likely the lack of anything or anyone telling it "no."

Neither federal privacy laws nor the nation’s surveillance laws provide specific protections for facial images.

Sure, the NSA might be forced to seek approval to dig through strictly American communications (photographs fall under this designation), but that doesn't stop the agency from collecting and storing these images on a "just in case" basis.

There are also indications the NSA desires much more than photos. The article mentions the agency is looking into obtaining iris scans through existing "phone and email surveillance programs," and has already been collecting some via unnamed "other means."

A NSA spokesperson has issued a non-denial that basically stated the agency was a self-starter before trailing off into a faint, unintelligible mumble.

“We would not be doing our job if we didn’t seek ways to continuously improve the precision of signals intelligence activities — aiming to counteract the efforts of valid foreign intelligence targets to disguise themselves or conceal plans to harm the United States and its allies,” said Vanee M. Vines, the agency spokeswoman.

She added that the N.S.A. did not have access to photographs in state databases of driver’s licenses or to passport photos of Americans, while declining to say whether the agency had access to the State Department database of photos of foreign visa applicants. She also declined to say whether the N.S.A. collected facial imagery of Americans from Facebook and other social media through means other than communications intercepts.

Most likely the agency does have access to the State Department database. Declining to comment generally indicates a confirmation of the accusations. Vines' assertion about the "safety" of Americans' drivers license/passport data is relatively meaningless as the agency is clearly interested in collecting everything it can possibly get ahold of. One look at the leaked fourth slide shows a vast array of potential data targets, any one of which is bound to sweep up US citizens, even if only incidentally. Just because the agency isn't tapping into motor vehicle databases doesn't mean it won't be able to collect information from other intercepts.

One of the largest concerns about this collection effort is the relative inaccuracy of facial recognition technology. Current systems have a fairly large margin of error, something that is greatly compounded by vast, untargeted collections. Without a doubt, the technology will improve, but rather than waiting for something better, the NSA (along with several other government agencies) has already deployed its dragnet. False hits will happen. Theoretically, the NSA's vast collections should help separate bogus matches from legitimate hits, but our nation's safekeepers haven't really shown a tendency to connect dots and/or verify before making moves.

Identity Intelligence (PDF)Identity Intelligence (Text)

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Filed Under: face recognition, facial recognition, nsa, privacy, surveillance

36 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 3:42am

I'm sure they're not collecting images under this program.
Even if they were collecting images under another program, I'm sure they're just meta-images.
Even if the meta-images are extremely revealing, I'm sure they have a complex factor for determining the image's foreignness.
Even if the statistical calculation of foreignness isn't better than a coin flip, I'm sure they're not targeting Americans.
And even if they were collecting images of Americans, I'm sure they're just completely legal as found by a court somewhere.

So in summary, you have nothing to worry about because terrorists.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 3:53am

Given the number of high quality photographs of politicians published every day, and the false positive rate of facial recognition software, it's only a matter of time before we get to watch the news reports of the fallout from a SWAT raid on some senator.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 4:14am

...aiming to counteract the efforts of valid foreign intelligence targets to disguise themselves or conceal plans to harm the United States and its allies,� said Vanee M. Vines, the agency spokeswoman.

What I hear is a distinct violation of the 4th amendment. I also hear that domestic citizens are now considered foreign intelligence targets and that's why they are spying Americans.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 4:15am

So if it is on the net we don't need to worry about copyright even if it is for personal gain?
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Anonymous Howard (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 4:34am

Re:
Even if the courts found it legal based on half-truths and lies, we're not like, looking at the images, so it doesn't count!
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Capt ICE Enforcer, 2 Jun 2014 @ 4:38am

Hell Frozen Over.
Holy crap, I actually believe the NSA this time though they have lied/made mistakes in the past. I do believe they don't use already made US government database. After all, that would be cost effective and we know how great the government is at that.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 5:10am

Gotta watch those nude terrorists to protect the nation.
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john Katos (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 5:29am

faces
If these facial databases are so good, why weren't the drivers license carrying, passport carrying, student id. carrying Boston bombers not identified?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 5:55am

Re: faces
remember, they already talked to them and determined that these guys were not a threat... then they blew shit up.

No amount of information gathering will help with stupid people and organizations unable to identify threats when they are slapping them in their face.

Kinda like the American people, there is a major threat slapping them in the face called the American Government... yep... didn't feel a thing.
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Fushta (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 6:06am

Re:
The program is called Facebook. It's called Facebook for a reason. /s
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Slinky (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 6:12am

Re: faces
This is absolutely spot on.
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limbodog (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 6:53am

I am so relieved that James Clapper told me we don't spy on Americans.
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That Anonymous Coward (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 6:59am

We have systems that misread license plates, but somehow we can do better with faces?
Perhaps we could do a better job if we stopped pushing harder to do more, and made them focus on tried and true methods of investigation. Where we focus on specific targets, rather than just throw everything into a giant worthless pile to dig through later.
Perhaps respecting citizens of the US and other nations, might work better than secret systems that when discovered lead to people disliking us more.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:08am

and so the removal of privacy and freedom continues. the USA government and so-called security services are not going to be content until they are able to track a person from birth until death, knowing everything about the person, who is contacted, what's said, journeys taken, mail posted, shops visited and items bought/sold! how anyone could become so paranoid them self is amazing, to actually convince a whole government to be just as paranoid is beyond belief! God help us because we are heading towards destroying ourselves!!
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:17am

Re:
Even if there is no court order I'm sure a court would have approved it had the NSA simply asked.
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Jeremy Lyman (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:20am

Doubt this will result in better accuracy, we all know the bulk of what sigint is sifting through on the Internet.
"This close, they always look like landscape. But nope, you're looking at balls."
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:24am

Re:
The huge pile of data has an advantage, the agents work in a nice warm office with coffee on hand, rather than having to stand around in all sorts of weather. Also it save one hell of a lot of shoe leather.
/sarc
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:28am

Facial images
I have no doubt they're collecting facial images, just like horny teenagers who finally got their own computer to use in private.
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weneedhelp (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:38am

I told you so
[Puts on tinfoil top hat]
Just wait until all those faces are being looked at and scanned by all the cameras everywhere. Privacy? Gone. Then with the tag and facial recognition... next it will be mandatory for privately owned video be tied into the system...
http://www.gamestop.com/wii-u/games/watch-dogs/108088
Watch the trailers. Its our future.
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TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:44am

This is great news
From now on, after an event happens, the NSA will be able to give all the newspapers accurate pictures of the attackers who blew themselves up.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:53am

NSA = where low quality techs go to die
These techs that enable this truly are the bottom of the barrel.
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Fushta (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 8:02am

Re:
Just think of all the false-positive hits on fat girls who use a skinny girl pic on their dating profile.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 9:34am

Re: Re:
Fuckin el.

That moment when you realise that Facebook is a codeword... oh sheit!
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Coyne Tibbets (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 9:57am

Ramping up for universal recognition
They're ramping up for a universal observation program I've privately being expecting for years.

According to my back-of-the-envelope estimates, it will be feasible sometime in 2015 for NSA to record feeds from all governmental security cameras, and they need to be able to do facial recognition on every face captured. (Maybe they have the capability to record all the cameras now and that's why the sudden ramp up in source data acquisition.)

What I expect they will capture, or try to capture, related to each person who passes through camera view: Subject's identity; time of detection; direction of motion; clothing; items carried by the subject; activities (talking on a cell phone); any companion subjects; any other subjects who pass, precede, or follow the subject; anything touched, picked up or discarded by the subject; and (possibly, this is still hard) where the subject looks.

If the camera is equipped with microphones, they will include audio recordings with transcripts, indexed by speaking subject.
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weneedhelp (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 10:28am

Re: NSA = where low quality techs go to die
Having worked in the belly of the beast... FOX "news," and also leaving there way short of the contracts end... its not so easy to just give up a well paying job and walk away.
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That One Guy (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 11:52am

Re: Ramping up for universal recognition
And the really screwed up part?

Couple of years back, something like that would sound like ranting of a completely crazy person. The paranoid delusions of someone who's completely lost it, and thinks the 'government is out to get them'.

Now? Now I read something like that and I just think, 'Yeah, I can see them at least trying to put something like that in place'.
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That One Guy (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 11:53am

No worries
I mean, as everyone knows, a face is obviously 'just meta-data', and could in no way be used to identify someone, so no need to be concerned about them scooping up as many photos as they can get their hands on.

/s
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Michael, 2 Jun 2014 @ 12:48pm

One of the largest concerns about this collection effort is the relative inaccuracy of facial recognition technology. Current systems have a fairly large margin of error, something that is greatly compounded by vast, untargeted collections.

That is a little unfair, it's not like they won't confirm someone's identity before, you know, pulling them over with guns drawn, dragging them out of their car, handcuffing them, and making them wait an hour before checking their license plate number.

That kind of thing could never happen.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jun 2014 @ 1:48pm

Re:
Well, the vast majority of Americans aren't citizens of the national security state, which is what the true demarcation between a "citizen" and a "foreigner" really is.
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rapnel, 2 Jun 2014 @ 5:29pm

Catagorically Unfit
Signals intelligence. When signals carry the secrets of the might of a nation then sigint is godly. When sigint carries the secrets of a people then sigint is the devil.

This is not America, this is a group of thugs with guns and law taking over.

The unlawful & unconstitutional archives must be destroyed and the collections must stop.

That's an order.
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Hans, 2 Jun 2014 @ 7:49pm

Wiretapping, not.
"Neither federal privacy laws nor the nation�s surveillance laws provide specific protections for facial images."

So it's not wiretapping as long as there are no privacy laws protecting it? I thought all communications were protected, not things with "specific protections"....

I love this country!
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That One Guy (profile), 2 Jun 2014 @ 11:41pm

Re: Wiretapping, not.
The government generally acts under the assumption that they can do anything they think they can get away with unless specifically ordered not to, at which point they'll still do whatever they want, they'll just try and hide it a little better.

And if they get caught again? Then they have a hearty chuckle, knowing that no judge has the guts or integrity to actually prosecute them for their actions, before going right back to what they were doing.
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FM Hilton, 3 Jun 2014 @ 3:47am

Another unsettling thought.
One should remember how many laptops/notebooks come with cameras installed.

Although the computer manufacturers claim that this kind of technology can't be used without the user's knowledge we've seen that high schools have spied on kids before with built-in cameras that were operating without anyone's knowledge. Case in point was this:

"At issue are school-issued Mac laptops provided to 2,300 students at Harriton High School. Unbeknownst to those students and their parents, the laptops were equipped with tracking software that could remotely activate the computer's webcam to take photos of the user, as well as capture screen shots. It was intended as a means to locate lost or stolen laptops, but was apparently activated in more questionable circumstances as well."

Who's to say that the NSA can't (and hasn't already) found a way to use this without anyone's knowledge?

Remember this next time you activate your webcam.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Jun 2014 @ 9:16am

We need a "Suck My Ass" selfie day.
Everyone, everywhere, should refrain from sending any photos of faces, and send just photos of their ass, so that at least for one day, all of the pics collected is nothing but a bunch of hairy asses.....
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Jun 2014 @ 4:19am

Are you really that dumb Mr Cushing? Why don't you ask on your own if NSA (via Google and Adobe/Macromedia/Flashplayer partnership) collects kinky pics via webcam in real time? Or, is that to diffucult to make a single phone call for a "journalist" like you?

BTW, Vlad likes someone else doing work for him.
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GEMont (profile), 4 Jun 2014 @ 11:31am

Face-Lift
The Secret Ballot, so sacred to Americans, just got a face-lift.

A tiny camera placed in a concealed position that can view the voter's choice on the ballot, connected to a database of triple redundant (driver's licence, passport, and social media) citizen photographs for that vote station area, gives a remarkably clear report of exactly who voted and who they voted for.

This method literally eliminates the need to bribe or coerce anyone associated with voting security and ballot transportation safety and makes the complete eradication of the secret ballot possible without any citizen having any chance to discover the loss of secrecy.

It is also, once established, nearly cost free.

Of course, everyone knows that the CIA/FBI/NSA/HLS machine would never do such an underhanded thing as this.....

right?
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