There do happen to be a large collection (very large) of web images in a free-to-use library, called the Internet Archive... In fact, these images are on a parallel supercomputer made up of hundreds of linux boxes, so if someone writes the software to do this detection we could run it on the images in the collection. Let me know how a public library can help. -brewster At 05:43 AM 8/2/2001 -0700, John Gilmore wrote:

See: Matching Faces With Mug Shots http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12629-2001Jul31.html

Perhaps the c'punks should put some effort into installing facial recognition systems in places where they will point out TO THE PUBLIC undercover cops, FBI agitators posing as demonstrators, or other undesirable citizens. How about at the next WTO meeting (not that I sympathize with the anti-globalists, but when both sides are thugs, as in Genoa, then they both deserve to be exposed).

Hmm, if DARPA or the Army is going to digitize its soldiers' faces for an IFF system, maybe we can FOIA that database.

Maybe we can stir up some doubts in even the cops' minds about whether this technology is evil or beneficial. Or at least hoist them on their own petard.

Brewster -- can we run this software over the set of pictures of people on the Internet that your Web spider pulls down?

Luckily, picturephones never caught on -- or Ma Bell would be working hand in hand with the government to monitor every citizen's every phone call, and compare who's on it with the FBI and NSA watch list. Oops, I forgot the voice recognition software and the permanent international call wiretaps; I guess they already are.

John