this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2025
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So I had researched it a while ago and don't recall having found anything effective and non-suspicious to protect from public camera mass survaillence in cities and the like. Is there anything that is a good option for that yet, and if so, could you point me toward it?

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[–] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml 72 points 1 month ago (6 children)
[–] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 13 points 1 month ago

Came here to suggest that. We need to gather sentiment

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[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 36 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Covid masks can be effective, and it's not as suspicious as asymmetrical makeup or a reflective hoodie. But no, there's no good way to avoid being photographed in public.

[–] SendMePhotos@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I read somewhere they they can identify you typically with about 35% of your face.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 13 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Yeah, a high-res image giving the position of ears, eyes, and nose is damning.

ears and eyes alone give you a shocking amount of identifyability. We're getting real fucking close to the CSI levels of facial identification.

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[–] icelimit@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Mask and sunglasses? Then put random things in your shoe everyday to change your gait?

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 33 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

There is no effective technical solution for political problems. If you find one, it will soon be outlawed or rendered ineffective (eg if you wear mask and sunglasses, prepare to be harassed by law enforcement). Lobbying to stop unconstrained surveillance is the only option.

[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (3 children)

If there is no other option than lobbying then there is no real option. The public has rarely ever effectively lobbied for their interests.

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I wouldn't be so pessimistic. When more people personally experience survelliance abuse, things will get interesting.

[–] fubbernuckin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago

I think the public is staggeringly bad at advocating for their own interests.

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[–] damnthefilibuster@lemmy.world 25 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] eager_eagle@lemmy.world 31 points 1 month ago (4 children)
[–] bmpvy@feddit.org 7 points 1 month ago

Thanks for sharing, what an amazing read^^

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[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 15 points 1 month ago
[–] Highlow@piefed.social 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] hector@lemmy.today 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Gorilla mask. Or one of those 6 foot tall bunny costumes. Or uncle sam ala carnivals a hundred years back.

[–] brownmustardminion@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

IR blocking sunglasses are the simplest and most practical solution.

Facial recognition systems compare the distance ratios between your eyes and nose primarily. Hiding your eyes is very effective towards fucking that up. A mask alone is typically not enough.

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Sunglasses alone are not enough either. Modern face recognition tech is way better than just distance ratios

[–] brownmustardminion@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Got any further info about these more advanced methods?

I haven't seen anything beyond the feature distance models. I have seen the models that essentially recreate you entire anatomy in 3D, place it in a database, then use that profile to match to in the future--almost like a 3D match move artist would do for visual effects. Not sure if this is just a proof of concept though.

I wouldn't be surprised if the millimeter wave scanners at airports have been collecting 3D models of us for this database over the last decades.

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I don't have any specific technical info. I just know that even 3 years ago the face recognition tech in Moscow could successfully match people even with sunglasses on.

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[–] willington@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

You need to own a few copies of face recog software, and practice with face restructuring latex makeup which gives you a new realistic face with a new bone structure.

Change walking gate. Get shoes with small platforms to change height, learn to walk naturally on those.

Change mannerisms.

It's doable, but a major pain to pull it off.

Like imagine quickly applying the latex makeup, walking in front of your own identical face recognition camera at home, take everything off, rest, repeat, 10 times a day, 300 days a year, for 10 years. Until it is second nature. Now you can rely on this to do serious work.

You have to create a new person, basically. Assuming you practiced well and tested everything against real software, you can now be a different person for some hours in a reliable way. Once your secondary identity is exposed you'll need a new tertiary identity. Never do anythiny fishy as your base identity.

The real solution is political, like everyone else has said. Because you won't be able to fool the system casually without a massive effort and practice, practice, practice on your own property first, before you rely on this for real work in the wild.

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[–] plyth@feddit.org 11 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Don't forget that when you walk the length of your bones can be measured which can be used to identify you.

[–] irmadlad@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I guess we can all join The Ministry of Silly Walks.

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Walk on the front of your foot, the process require you to intentionally concentrate on your gait which causes it to change

Not that you can do it all of the time, but it is a way to defeat gait fingerprinting.

[–] scytale@piefed.zip 14 points 1 month ago

Walk without rhythm.

[–] machiavellian@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just as normal sunglasse don't fool facial recognition systems, modern gait recognition systems can't be defeated by "just altering how you walk". You can read more about it on The Hitchhikers Guide to Online Anonymity. There is this research paper.

They link a specific device which can fool some systems, but a bit easier (although more inefficient) is just wearing very loose clothes that cover the movement of your muscles.

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[–] favoredponcho@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yea, but there is a database of peoples faces matched to their names. There is not a database of their bone lengths to the names. That measurement would be done after you were already under suspicion.

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[–] damnthefilibuster@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is that part of gait measurement or separate from it?

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[–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

IR LEDs around your hat or glasses but I believe some cameras can filter out IR.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 month ago

Yeah, no dice, the better sensors these days don't have any problem with that. Check out Project Farms recent doorbell camera review. He actually walks up to the doorbell camera with a full on flashlight in the pitch black of night and they still have no problem.

[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Don't mind me, just rocking my battery-powered hat

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[–] interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago (7 children)

Handheld scanning infrared laser, 5 to 50 watts Basically laser-clean the sensor out of existence

[–] TheCoralReefsAreDying69@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

5 to 50 watts

And blinding everyone around you too!

[–] interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago (9 children)

You're going to need a rather tight beam to hit that camera and it will only for milliseconds. It would take really bad luck to hit someone continuously long enough through a reflection (drastic reduction in power level by then) to damage their eyesight, plus camera optics are not very reflective of infrared as they need it for night vision, so they're especially sensitive. But yes, this should be treated with the seriousness of a gun.

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[–] irmadlad@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Mask or neck gator, dark shades, toboggan hat or head scarf/wrap that covers your ears. Ears are just about as identifiable as fingerprints.

[–] birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 month ago

Long hair also.

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[–] birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

For surveillance cams:

Cover them up and destroy them with drones.

[–] autonomoususer@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

You learning how to make other people directly around you care. Start with the easy stuff, like helping them leave WhatsApp and Discord.

[–] helix@feddit.org 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

You mean, a solution against CCTV, right? RIGHT?

[–] medicsofanarchy@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)
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[–] DrunkAnRoot@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

mask with dark sunglasses or a ski mask with dark sunglasses

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