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Australia Wants To Use Your Face To Track What Porn And Slots You Enjoy.
By Shane Addinall Nov 08, 2019 TechnologyHas Australia’s Department of Home Affairs gone too far in proposing the use of facial recognition software in order to determine whether or not you are allowed to gamble online or visit your favourite porn site?It appears that the uptight folk over at Australia’s Department of Home Affairs are tired of people down under having a good time online – especially when that good time relates to online gambling and pornography.
✓Privacy Versus Protection
Australia implemented the use of facial recognition software in 2016 as a way to vet residency seekers. The success of this initiative has however sparked an inquest into where else the Face Verification Service (FVS) can be implemented.
While the stated aim of expanding the use FVS into gambling and adult entertainment would be to limit access to minors – a laudable endeavour – it does, however, raise concerns about the privacy of the individual, what data will be tracked, will the data be stored and if so what steps will be taken to secure said data from hacks and misuse.
Simply put the proposal has no solid plans, or even guidelines, for dealing with any of the above concerns.
✓FVS Is Simply Too Invasive For General Use
Any savvy online user understands that when posting on Facebook, commenting on Twitter or ordering from Amazon there are snippets of information about these interactions that are being shared between dozens of companies and sites 24 hours a day.
However, in those cases you as an individual are anonymous, your name and face are not tied back to the action. FVS by its definition is an invasive system which is based on matching your face with your government-issued ID document, and then matching that up to specific times, dates, actions and websites on an ongoing basis.
Senator Rex Patrick is one of many to criticise the proposal, stating simply:
“I think people should be very concerned about any government department that’s seeking to store this kind of information.”
And he is right to do so. China is the only other country known to make broad use of facial recognition and tracking software! They use it to not only track criminals but also limit the access to the mobile game Honor of Kings to a maximum of two hours a day. It is used as a dictatorial sledgehammer to impose state control on how people live their lives.
This is not a ringing endorsement for tracking and storing the personal online usage information of non-criminal, loyal, tax-paying members of a free society.
✓Think About The Children
Protecting the future generations of any country is of the utmost importance, however, trampling the right to freedom of all citizens to possibly protect another is not the right way to do it.
If addictive behaviour is the issue at hand it would surely be more impactful to educate parents, teachers and the children themselves on issues such as addictions. Covering the topic from a medical, social and physiological perspective.
Such a course of action could have a deeper impact on compulsive disorders across the board without singling out gambling or pornography. The net result is a society that understands and is sensitive to the needs of those around them.
Storing all their faces in a database and tracking their movements online might sound great on paper but when you’re trying to really help people education and interaction are far more powerful tools.
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