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SILICON SILIC CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Editor Emeritus Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Publisher/Editor Nicholas Vinen Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Bao Smith, B.Sc Tim Blythman, B.E., B.Sc Technical Contributor Duraid Madina, B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD Art Director & Production Manager Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Dave Thompson David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov. Geoff Graham Associate Professor Graham Parslow Ian Batty Cartoonist Brendan Akhurst Silicon Chip is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 626 922 870. ABN 20 880 526 923. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Subscription rates: $105.00 per year, post paid, in Australia. For overseas rates, see our website or email silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au Editorial office: Unit 1 (up ramp), 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 * Recommended & maximum price only. Editorial Viewpoint Seemingly helpful technology may be not that helpful For some years, I have had my Android phone set to automatically upload any photos that I have taken, to Google’s servers. This is very handy because it makes my photos easy to share. And it also means that I won’t lose any photos if my phone suddenly becomes kaput, which has happened to me twice already. Besides concerns over third parties getting access to data stored in “the cloud” (which is not paranoia, as we found out through the iCloud hacks), there is another aspect of this which I find very disconcerting. One day, I took a photo of my baby daughter and Google Photos asked me “who is this?” I (perhaps foolishly) entered her name and since then, Google’s facial recognition technology automatically tags photos that I take which include her. I can search for her name in Google Photos and it finds the images which include her, which is handy. But it’s also a bit creepy. She isn’t even a year old and already a computer somewhere has her biometric data and is able to recognise her. That information is not public but it’s stored on a server somewhere in “the cloud”. How do we know that it will stay private? Presumably Google would not purposely make it public (would they?) but maybe it could be hacked, or accidentally leaked, or otherwise compromised. There are potentially serious implications should anyone with nefarious intentions get a hold of that data. For example, someone with access to a network of street and traffic cameras and a large set of biometric data could track people’s movements, to stalk them. Consider that if you have ever shared a photo of yourself or your family members on social media, along with any identifying information, just about anyone with internet access could use those photos to build their own biometric database. They could then automatically scan other images from social media and other sources, to keep track of where you have been and what you have done. Big Brother is certainly watching you! In the case of young children, they may grow up to find out that others have already made their photos and other private data public, without their knowledge or consent. I’m not sure that’s morally right. This affects adults, too. You may have kept your information private but could an acquaintance have shared photos of you, and identifying information, without asking you first? I’m not really that concerned about government abuse of data like this because they already know so much about us. If you have a driver’s license or passport then they have your biometric data on file. But what about “social media mobs” and/or others with bad intentions? Having your photos and biometric data available on social networks could help deranged people harass you. Such events are becoming more commonplace, and not just for public figures. So while technology like Google’s facial recognition is convenient, you should think carefully about the ramifications before you give away private information to third parties, or make it public via social media. And when you do give away such information to a third party, you have to consider how securely it will be kept. Printing and Distribution: Nicholas Vinen Derby Street, Silverwater, NSW 2148. 2 Silicon Chip Australia’s electronics magazine siliconchip.com.au