Google uses questionable tactics to target people with dark skin
https://newsstechh.blogspot.com/2019/10/google-uses-questionable-tactics-to.html
Google uses questionable tactics to target people with dark skin
Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the project told The New York Daily News that Google has funded a face recognition project that targets people of their color with questionable tactics.
The company's goal is to build a vastly diverse database, ostensibly Google products such as the dynamic features on the upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone are not affected by racial bias.
In the past, facial recognition technology has had a more difficult time identifying people with darker skin.
Google wants to avoid this predicament, paying temporarily out of order to collect face-to-face images from a variety of people on the street using $ 5 gift cards as an incentive.
A Google spokesman acknowledged the purpose of collecting data and said:
“We regularly conduct research studies for volunteers. For recent studies that involve collecting face samples for machine learning training, there are two goals: First, we want to build fairness in the face-opening feature of Pixel 4. It is important that we have a diverse sample, which is an important part Of building a comprehensive product. "
"Second, security. Opening the face of Pixel 4 will be a powerful new security measure, and we want to make sure it protects as many people as possible."
But many of those who worked on the project spoke to the Daily News in lengthy interviews and said Google's appetite for data collection led to questionable and misleading methods.
They said teams were sent to target homeless people in Atlanta, unsuspecting students on campuses across the United States and attend BET awards in Los Angeles, among other places.
Workers known as Google TVCs - a short for identifying temporary workers, vendors or contractors - told the Daily News that they were being paid through a third-party recruitment company called Randstad.
They said that Randstad project leaders specifically asked TV companies to go after dark-skinned people, and to hide the fact that people's faces were recorded and that they were lying to maximize their data collection.
A list of specific questions sent to Google about its methods has not been answered, but the company acknowledged that it needs to train its face recognition device to work on all kinds of facial features and that it is investigating Daily News allegations of questionable tactics.
Randstad acknowledged receiving an email from Daily News requesting comment but did not respond by the deadline.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the project told The New York Daily News that Google has funded a face recognition project that targets people of their color with questionable tactics.
The company's goal is to build a vastly diverse database, ostensibly Google products such as the dynamic features on the upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone are not affected by racial bias.
In the past, facial recognition technology has had a more difficult time identifying people with darker skin.
Google wants to avoid this predicament, paying temporarily out of order to collect face-to-face images from a variety of people on the street using $ 5 gift cards as an incentive.
A Google spokesman acknowledged the purpose of collecting data and said:
“We regularly conduct research studies for volunteers. For recent studies that involve collecting face samples for machine learning training, there are two goals: First, we want to build fairness in the face-opening feature of Pixel 4. It is important that we have a diverse sample, which is an important part Of building a comprehensive product. "
"Second, security. Opening the face of Pixel 4 will be a powerful new security measure, and we want to make sure it protects as many people as possible."
But many of those who worked on the project spoke to the Daily News in lengthy interviews and said Google's appetite for data collection led to questionable and misleading methods.
They said teams were sent to target homeless people in Atlanta, unsuspecting students on campuses across the United States and attend BET awards in Los Angeles, among other places.
Workers known as Google TVCs - a short for identifying temporary workers, vendors or contractors - told the Daily News that they were being paid through a third-party recruitment company called Randstad.
They said that Randstad project leaders specifically asked TV companies to go after dark-skinned people, and to hide the fact that people's faces were recorded and that they were lying to maximize their data collection.
A list of specific questions sent to Google about its methods has not been answered, but the company acknowledged that it needs to train its face recognition device to work on all kinds of facial features and that it is investigating Daily News allegations of questionable tactics.
Randstad acknowledged receiving an email from Daily News requesting comment but did not respond by the deadline.
