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China Privacy Technology

Chinese 'Gait Recognition' Tech IDs People By How They Walk; Police Have Started Using It on Streets of Beijing and Shanghai (apnews.com) 135

Posted by msmash from the extreme-measures dept.
Chinese authorities have begun deploying a new surveillance tool: "gait recognition" software that uses people's body shapes and how they walk to identify them, even when their faces are hidden from cameras. From a report: Already used by police on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, "gait recognition" is part of a push across China to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance that is raising concern about how far the technology will go. Huang Yongzhen, the CEO of Watrix, said that its system can identify people from up to 50 meters (165 feet) away, even with their back turned or face covered. This can fill a gap in facial recognition, which needs close-up, high-resolution images of a person's face to work. "You don't need people's cooperation for us to be able to recognize their identity," Huang said in an interview in his Beijing office. "Gait analysis can't be fooled by simply limping, walking with splayed feet or hunching over, because we're analyzing all the features of an entire body."
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Chinese 'Gait Recognition' Tech IDs People By How They Walk; Police Have Started Using It on Streets of Beijing and Shanghai More

Chinese 'Gait Recognition' Tech IDs People By How They Walk; Police Have Started Using It on Streets of Beijing and Shanghai

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  • Obviously supervised by ... (Score:5, Funny)

    by nospam007 ( 722110 ) * on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @03:40PM (#57607848)

    ...the Ministry of Silly Walks.

    I know, but now we got it out of the way.

  • I ride a bike (Score:3)

    by xxxJonBoyxxx ( 565205 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @03:41PM (#57607858)
    Muh huh huh huh huh ha *CRASH*

  • Yikes! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Aighearach ( 97333 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @03:42PM (#57607860)

    It doesn't even matter if it works, only if Chinese people believe that it works.

  • High Tech Countermeasure (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cirby ( 2599 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @03:49PM (#57607926)

    Put a pebble in one shoe and wear a loose jacket...

  • Counter measure (Score:4, Funny)

    by Zorro ( 15797 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @03:56PM (#57607982)

    Walk like an Egyptian.

  • I'm sure it's just as effective (Score:4, Interesting)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @03:58PM (#57608002)
    as Drug sniffing dogs and this gem [theregister.co.uk].

    Basically, it's an excuse for the cops to pull you over and ask questions when you're not doing anything wrong. Heck, if anything it's a good sign that the Chinese are resorting to this kind of mumbo jumbo. It shows their people are starting to become conscience of the notion of civil rights.

    • It may be that Chinese cops have no need for "mumbo-jumbo" and would find the concept backwards, quaint.

  • I've done this for years (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I remembering "recognizing" my parents from across a parking lot as a little kid based on how they moved and I just thought for ages everyone did it. I was probably a teenager before I made a comment like, "Oh, there's Joe! I can tell by how he walks," and whoever I was with looked at me like I was pulling his leg.

    I know some other people must do this, but it seems to be relatively uncommon practice for people (or maybe it's an unconscious thing for most people and I just do it consciously?)

    • Everyone does this, it's a well-known and understood mode of recognition. I did it extra when I was younger cause I was nearsighted and didn't wear glasses. Cause I didn't like wearing my free government glasses, because they were so dorky looking.

  • "To catch criminals"... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @04:10PM (#57608082)

    What people do not realize (because they ignore or do not know human history), "criminals" described Jews in Nazi Germany, "politically unreliable people" under Stalin, etc. The next Hitler will get all his victims served on a plate, no way to hide. The only way to prevent that is to ban these technologies outright and very clearly label them as what they are: A tool for oppression that is a severe threat to anybody.

    Oh, and actual criminals are either not important enough or get caught just fine without technology like this.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      It could even backfire, at least in the West where we have proper adversarial trials. The state will try to convince everyone that this technology is infallible, like fingerprints or DNA*, and then all the criminals need do is deliberately walk differently and suddenly the CCTV proves it wasn't them.

      I heard that something similar was done with audio recordings. The police have a system where they record the 50Hz mains hum and claim to be able to detect it on recordings, thus providing a timestamp. It's usef

      • The police have a system where they record the 50Hz mains hum and claim to be able to detect it on recordings, thus providing a timestamp. It's useful for dating recordings they fine and for proving that they didn't edit recordings and stitch them together... Except that apparently now criminals are wise to it they add recorded 50Hz hum from times when they have a watertight alibi and use it to discredit the prosecution.

        it is a sort of "yes man" issue. People coming up with tools, yet no one asks "How might this be defeated?"

        But know this - unless this is some silly ruse, the Chinese have made a database of gait and now have a true Ministry of Silly Walks.

    • we've had Genocides for thousands of years. Every holy book you care to name is full of them. Every history has a few. They're common.

      What leads to genocide is poverty. People turn to genocide to cull the herd. The Nazis were the most obvious example. Here's a good video [youtube.com] describing Nazi ideology and it's practical applications. The TL;DR is that while it was expensive to exterminate the Jews it was advantages because they got to pocket their wealth (Close to $300 billion in today's money) and they could
  • (and Christopher Walken can demonstrate if you'd like)

    ... walk without rhythm, and you won't attract the worm ...
  • Gait recognition has been around for quite awhile. I worked at a company that deployed a gait biometric system in 2012 or so. It came from an Israeli company, FST Biometrics [fstbm.com] Results in our case were mixed, but they had several very large customers (e.g. Google) who were using it with good results.

  • Put pebbles in your shoes so your gait is changed.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tambo ( 310170 )
      Yep - exactly my reaction, too, from past stories about this technology. Another ultra-expensive technology solution that's easily circumvented by a minute of contemplation.

  • After all, where do you think most of the spies during WW II were trained?

    Gait modification, clothing/reversible switches, and other techniques defeat this tech fairly easily, after 10-15 minutes of training.

  • US has had this for more than a decade (Score:5, Interesting)

    by RhettLivingston ( 544140 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @04:49PM (#57608338) Journal

    The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) is an XML-based information exchange framework used by the US government to grease the sharing of information between departments. It was started in the Bush administration in 2005. I first noticed it around 2008 and it contained fields to define PersonGait at that time (version 2 I think).

    They have deleted some of these fields since then. I suspect they did so because it gave out too much information about what they are doing though it is also possible the new administration rolled back the push into some of these areas.

    The rules for getting data components added to the model include a requirement that the data components must already be in use by at least 2 different departments. So, in 2008, at least 2 departments of the government were using a person's gait as an identifying characteristic.

    I have included a list of the fields in the "PersonAugmentationType" data type for the V2.0 version of the spec from a decade ago below. Many are interesting including: body odor, ear shape, finger geometry, gait, hand geometry, keystroke dynamics, lip movement, urine, vein pattern, etc.

    The NIEM is publicly available and published on Github [github.com]. I highly recommend downloading one of the older versions before they sanitized it, like V2.0 or so, and spending some time looking at the spreadsheets that describe it. The insight to be gained in what the government has reason to store about us is extensive.

    • j:PersonAFISIdentification
    • j:PersonBirthPlaceCode
    • j:PersonBodyOdor
    • j:PersonBodyPartsText
    • j:PersonCharge
    • j:PersonConcealedFirearmPermitHolderIndicator
    • j:PersonDentalCharacteristicGeneral
    • j:PersonDentalCharacteristicRemovableAppliances
    • j:PersonDentalPhotoModelAvailableIndicator
    • j:PersonDentalXRayAvailableIndicator
    • j:PersonDrivingIncident
    • j:PersonDrivingInsuranceCoverageCategoryText
    • j:PersonDrivingInsuranceStatusText
    • j:PersonEarShape
    • j:PersonEmancipationDate
    • j:PersonFBIIdentification
    • j:PersonFacialFeatures
    • j:PersonFingerGeometry
    • j:PersonFirearmPermitHolderIndicator
    • j:PersonFirearmSalesDisqualifiedCode
    • j:PersonFootPrint
    • j:PersonFootPrintAvailableIndicator
    • j:PersonGait
    • j:PersonGeneralLedgerIdentification
    • j:PersonHandGeometry
    • j:PersonHitResultsCode
    • j:PersonIrisFeatures
    • j:PersonIssuedPropertyTitleAbstract
    • j:PersonJewelryCategoryText
    • j:PersonKeystrokeDynamics
    • j:PersonLipMovement
    • j:PersonNCICIdentification
    • j:PersonPalmPrint
    • j:PersonPasswordText
    • j:PersonPrimaryWorker
    • j:PersonReferralWorker
    • j:PersonRegisteredOffenderIndicator
    • j:PersonRetina
    • j:PersonSaliva
    • j:PersonSemen
    • j:PersonSightedIndicator
    • j:PersonSpeechPattern
    • j:PersonStateFingerprintIdentification
    • j:PersonTemporaryAssignmentUnit
    • j:PersonThermalFaceImage
    • j:PersonThermalHandImage
    • j:PersonThermalImage
    • j:PersonUrine
    • j:PersonVeinPattern
    • j:PersonVendorIdentification
    • nc:DriverLicense
    • nc:DriverLicensePermit
    • nc:PersonWorkPlace

  • Wecome to Nazi china e-papers please!

    • It was always shocking to me as a kid to read about how Nazi Germany actually required people to have papers to travel - unimaginable and a prime example of a dictatorial government run amok. Fast forward a few decades... try to get on a plane in the US without papers.

  • Rock in Shoe (Score:4, Insightful)

    by holophrastic ( 221104 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @05:08PM (#57608450)

    I very very long time ago -- twenty, thirty years ago -- I read a book on the human art of spying. There was a lengthy discussion about evading capture when spying in enemy territory.

    A few pages discussed the concept that when someone is following you, on-foot, through a busy shopping mall, you ought to alter your gait, since that's a very easy way that human eyes track human prey.

    The chapter ended with a simple, and straight-forward comment to the effect of: nothing is better than simply placing a small pebble in one of your shoes.

    • The chapter ended with a simple, and straight-forward comment to the effect of: nothing is better than simply placing a small pebble in one of your shoes.

      shoes. Your shadow might be able to change clothing, headwear, glasses, gait, etc. fairly easily, but few people carry an extra pair of shoes.

    • The chapter ended with a simple, and straight-forward comment to the effect of: nothing is better than simply placing a small pebble in one of your shoes.

      ... if you're trying to figure out if someone is following you, look at their shoes. Your shadow might be able to change clothing, headwear, glasses, gait, etc. fairly easily, but few people carry an extra pair of shoes.

  • In a society where imprisoning and or disappearing innocent people accidentally is more important then catching the maximum number of criminals and dissenters. Such a thing would not be accepted. However, that is not China.

    I believe , if they could, they would simply require everyone to wear a thought monitoring device and arrest people for 'thinking wrongly'.

    Of coarse, if you don't believe in free will, as required by the Chinese Communist Party embracing of atheism.
    I suppose it is a logical use of tech

  • Use custom orthotics. Also known as a pebble or cotton ball. One placed in your shoe and your gait changes. Also to change your body shape use a fat vest. The fat vest can be something so simple as a pillow. That and a reversible coat, one That’s adjustable and reversible; you’re all set. Of course don’t use it for routine. Only when needed.

  • May as well just implant chips in everyone (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Rick Schumann ( 4662797 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @06:37PM (#57608984) Journal
    I don't know why the Chinese government bothers to preserve this paper-thin pretense that they give a shit about how their citizens feel about anything and just get it over with: implant tracking chips in everyone from birth so they can be wirelessly tracked 24/7/365 for as long as they live. That's about where they're going with this. It's not like the average Chinese citizen, by now, doesn't already realize that they have zero privacy and zero rights of any kind anyway.

    • Re:May as well just implant chips in everyone (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Dorianny ( 1847922 ) on Wednesday November 07, 2018 @08:38PM (#57609472) Journal
      Countries with oppressive regimes got to be very careful about managing public opinion. Once discontent is widespread in society even a minor event like a fruit vendor setting himself on fire could spark a revolt very quickly (In this case the Arab Spring.)
      • That's so stupid. I hate that story. Tibetans set themselves on fire all the time and nobody ever revolts. It's confirmation bias.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Anonymous Coward

          he said 'could' not will
          in general it's called a preference cascade:
          - everyone appears to be ok with something (or hold a certain believe)
          - then at some point someones rebels... often in a way that lots of others have rebelled before
          - ... and the rebellion unexpectedly spreads like fire
          - overnight the world has changed

  • I saw a video by a supposedly ex-CIA make-up woman, and she recommended putting a pebble into your shoe when in disguise, because it changes your gait significantly, and humans also do gait analysis subconsciously.
  • ... simply by putting a pebble in your shoe.

  • Do not draw the attention of Shai Hulud

  • "Gait analysis can't be fooled by simply limping, walking with splayed feet or hunching over, because we're analyzing all the features of an entire body."

    Bullshit. That's what they want people to think.

    But you probably have to put a really painful object in one shoe, and smoke some weed, and listen to a lot of reggae.

    Pretty soon, everyone with a Keyser So:ze limp will be arrested on sight. And he won't talk himself out of that one, because of the international Chinese gesture of "speak to the hand", which w

  • How has nobody posted this before me?!

    If you walk without rhythm... you won't attract the worm.
    If you walk without rhythm... you'll never learn!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

  • Seems like a good time to learn irregular walk, so the worms won't detect us.

  • To the chinese for demonstrating to everyone what a full blown technological dystopia looks like. Oh, and the UK too. Surely Murica won't be too far behind, though hopefully the House won't stop Dear Leader Trumpski from clamping down on these leftist media outlets and their horrible, hurtful words.

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