Week 18 reflections

I recently purchased a new iPhone 12 Pro, after having the same outdated iphone for the last three years. There was one startling difference in transferring over to the newest model of the iPhone — the ability to enable/disable security and privacy features using their face — face ID. Because my previous project in computational arts based research and theory involved artificial intelligence and methods of facial recognition surveillance, the idea of a Face ID seemed intriguing to me. After a moment of machine learning, where I move my face around for the iPhone AI to recognize as me, I began to test it: to see when I am able to lock and unlock my phone. Sure enough, around most moments of light — and even at night — the iPhone was able to recognize my face at most angles and unlock. Some other interesting observations I noticed:

- It will recognize me with sunglasses on

- It will recognize me with a hat

- It will NOT recognize me with a mask on

- It will NOT recognize me with sunglasses and a hat on

These observations piqued my interest in exploring the AI and computer vision of these iPhones again, and it may be the route my final project is headed. I’m interested in using face as a biometric marker because the idea of face is so tied tightly with identity and the self, and many people often end up selectively editing their facial features via plastic surgery. And yet faces are considered solid and secure and accurate sources of data and identification. I’m reminded of an incident a couple years back where two ladies were detained at an airport in Seoul (one of the top destinations for cosmetic surgery) because their faces were too unrecognizable and different from the images presented in their passports.

I want to print out edited versions of my face, as seen through traditional plastic surgery dimensions and operations, to see how much I have to alter my face to evade facial detection. This will be different from my previous project, where I focused on methods of evading facial recognition via protest — talking about projects such as CV Dazzle Make up and Gender Fail project. Rather, I want to see how different I must change my face — and yet remain inconspicuous to the general public — while tricking the iPhone facial recognition technology.