No Pictures, Thanks

An anonymous reader writes "HP has received a patent on technology that would allow anyone who didn't want their picture taken to remotely instruct cameras to blur their face. While this is being promoted as a privacy measure, does anyone else see the serious rights issues here? What's to prevent this being used by police to block their images when they're beating or otherwise mistreating people? If this tech can be used to blur faces, it can be quite easily adapted to turn cameras off altogether, with deeply troubling implications. And even without these 'what if' scenarios, isn't there an expectation that, if you're in a public area, you're fair game for being photographed?"

Another solution

[AtariAmarok]

There is a more low-tech solution available as well. There's this guy who advertises in the back of "Soldier of Fortune" magazine who will blur anyone's face for a fee.

but...

[hyperstation]

if their faces are blurry they'll die in 7 days!

Photo Radar

[Anonymous Coward]

This might be useful when I'm cruising down the road at 15mph over the posted speed limit and notice a second too late the police van parked on the side of the road waiting to take my picture.

I have one of these nifty gadgets

[slartibart]

They've actually been around for quite some time. They are called ski masks.

Re:What a stupid question....

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, maybe they should just make a regulation against cops beating and mistreating people.

Re:does it blur the

[PriceIke]

If you have boobs attached to your face, please blur them too. Thank you.

Laughing Man

[mr_rattles]

I'm just thinking about the first time someone would commit a crime and all you see is a Laughing Man logo with a spinning quote from Catcher in the Rye around it over the criminal's face. And next thing you know there are dozens of people claiming to be the Laughing Man...

Re:Sword cuts both ways

[stupidfoo]

Tinfoil hats cause interference.

Re:camera side

[Rick the Red]

When cameras are outlawed, only outlaws will have cameras!

Re:Great.

[nocomment]

Just think of all the robberies that will occur right in front of cameras.

Idiots should NOT have ideas

[t_allardyce]

I think there should be some sort of policy in all technology companies, dilbert style, that says that non-technical people who have absolutely no fucking idea what they are talking about should not be allowed to make product suggestions or patents. There is already a similar policy in the airline industry that says non-pilots shouldn't be allowed to fly planes and i hear it works very well!

This is one of those ideas with no thought behind it, its based on the assumption that like good little boys and girls we are all going to accept technology lock down - they haven't even figured out how they are going to persuade other companies to stick this in their cameras?! or is this going to be mandatory by law soon? well i've got news for any legislator who thinks for a fucking second they are going to dictate what i can do to my property in my own home. To me it seems like this idea was thought up not by a business minded person (who in their right mind would try and cripple only their companies products for no reason!?) but by a complete and total idiot, in fact i would like that idiot to come and explain themselves, slashdot?

Sniff, sniff ... What's that, is it Common Sense?

[tilleyrw]

1. Only cameras equipped with this technology are affected
2. ---
3. Any politician who supports installing this technology will be immediately labelled as "Secretive" and "Likely To Be Supporting A Conspiracy".
4. ---
5. Q.E.D. Such people find their careers are over.

Re:What a stupid question....

[Anonymous Coward]

The world must look awful rosey through those glasses.

Re:Obvious Solution.

[Lisandro]

Great! I have an evil-bit scrambler to sell you for only $39.99, plus shipping.

Re:Great.

[Atzanteol]

Think of all the ones that currently do! With the perp wearing a ski mask!

Well...

[Anonymous Coward]

If the police are beating you, then you probably deserve it anyway. If you would take a shower, groom your hair and beard, go to work, and pay your taxes, the police would have no reason to bother with you.

Re:Great.

[Anonymous Coward]

And just think of how this will damage the profits of Girls Gone Wild --- right there is all the reason you need to not implement this feature...

Re:Laughing Man

[arhar]

Everyone who read Catcher in the Rye?

Prior art ?

[Anonymous Coward]

There is prior art for this patent and there are allready these cameras on the market with this great feature: If you buy any cheapo-disposable camera in a newsagent shop, you can hardly recognize any face taken by it...

Re:Laughing Man

[kko]

I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes [sanchezalderete.net]

Re:Laughing Man

[dr_dank]

The real question is how many people get your reference, I do

Excellent! Five points to Gryffindor!

Obligatory Futurama

[Exocet]

[Scene: Planet Express: Lounge. A show called Cop Department is on TV.]

Cop Department Announcer [voice-over; on TV]: Cop Department is real. The people you see are not actors. Most of them aren't even people.

[Fry, Bender and Leela sit slumped on the couch. The coffee table is filled with dishes, uneaten burgers and boxes of Chinese food. On the TV is a dazed centipede-like alien with a blurred face.]

Alien [on TV]: C'mon man, I didn't fire off no laser.

Smitty [on TV]: Then why is there a smoking hole in your ceiling sir?

[The camera points to the ceiling.]

Alien [on TV]: What? Crazy upstairs lady must've been shooting down.

URL [on TV]: Sir, you're on the top floor of this particular domicile.

[snip!]

Alien [on TV]: OK. OK, I'm co-operating.

Smitty [on TV]: That's it, now put up your hands.

[The alien puts it's 20 hands in the air and URL moves towards him, cuffs at the ready.]

URL [on TV]: Nice and slow. Aww yeah!

Smitty [on TV]: And while you're at it, unblur your face.

Alien [on TV]: Aw man.

[He unblurs his face. It wasn't a TV effect!]

--Futurama, "The Lesser of Two Evils"

Re:What a stupid question....

[LocoMan]

I have a foolproof device that blocks any camera from taking a picture of your face (patent pending).. it involves a piece lead cilinder large enough to cover your entire body and a hole in the bottom to slip the feet out of so you can walk... and there's a light edition too that involves a black cloth covering you but it won't work against X-ray cameras.. :)

Re:Exactly!

[Anonymous Coward]

Precisely. To illustrate the absurdity of market demand for this feature, I'll oblibatorily quote the Simpsons [snpp.com]:

% Ms. White claims that only US$10,000 more is needed before the
% conclusion of "Do Shut Up" can roll. Eager to get things moving as
% quickly as possible, Homer dials the PBS pledge number and promises
% the entire ten grand -- anonymously.

Bart: Dad, you don't have ten thousand dollars.
Homer: Eh. How are they going to find me?
[at PBS Pledge Central, the "mercury" in a thermometer
display rises all the way to the top and rings a bell]
White: Folks, we've just reached our goal of ten thousand, seven
hundred dollars, and it's all thanks to one generous
caller ... who didn't leave his name.
Homer: [laughs]
White: But thanks to Insta-Trace, we've learned it's Homer
Simpson, of 742 Evergreen Terrace. [a picture of Homer
appears on the screen. He screams]
Homer: Oh, why did I register with Insta-Trace?

Re:What a stupid question....

[Anonymous Coward]

> I also have a shaved head
balding

> and a big frame
fat

> and tend to look a little rough
tired

> and edgey.
members only jacket + goatee.

Just come clean: The trick is that, while you may look like a harley-riding David Brent, you're driving a Ford Festiva when the cops pull you over.

Sure...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Have you tried to find a 5.25" floppy lately?"

I know I've got one lying around my paperless office somewhere. Maybe buried under one of my e-books.

Re:Police are already experts....

[Anonymous Coward]

Why, the New South Wales Police (Sydney, Australia) Senior Constable with badge number 66312 simply left the room and removed his official badge and other identifying stuff before he started beating up on me in the old North Sydney Police Station.

What exactly have you done about this beating you took?

Got plans for revenge? Maybe gonna man up and beat the living shit out of this fellow one day?

Be really funny to catch him on his vacation five or ten years down the road, your face covered up with a ski mask, and smash him in the face with a claw hammer a couple of times to stun him and drop him to the ground so you can proceed to smash his fingers, hands, wrists and elbows with the hammer.

Think about it. You know you want to.