AN ITALIAN fashion start-up has claimed its clothes can deflect facial recognition features on surveillance cameras.
The firm dubbed Cap_able launched the clothing in their Manifesto Collection.
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Cap_able described the knitwear garments as a ‘”wearable algorithm to protect our identity”, the Daily Mail reported.
How does it work?
The knitwear conceals your identity from surveillance cameras by tricking the AI.
Cap_able’s technology basically uses adversarial images to confound the AI.
When this happens, the AI cannot detect your face’s biometric data or is tricked into thinking you are an animal.
Why did Cap-able create this line?
The Italian fashion firm said the goal of the Manifesto Collection is to promote the right to privacy.
Furthermore, the company believes it’s important to protect the biometric data of citizens around the world.
Cap_able CEO Rachele Didero said: “Choosing what to wear is the first act of communication we perform, every day. A choice that can be the vehicle of our values.”
Didero called biometric data “the new oil,” and said it’s important to protect against the misuse of recognition cameras.
He called this “a problem that has become increasingly present in our daily life, involving citizens from all over the world and which, if neglected, could freeze the rights of the individual including freedom of expression, association, and free movement in public spaces.”
What’s next?
As of right now, the company’s algorithm is printed on clothes.
However, they recently patented a method to embed the technology into clothes’ textures to fit them better.
Federica Busani, the co-founder of Cap_able, told the Daily Mail the company aims to “change the way people look at the clothes and accessories they wear by bringing a completely new and deeper attitude to the fashion industry.”
“Cap_able wants to find new solutions and new fields of application of the technology, to make people reflect on an urgent problem too often underestimated,” Busani added.
How much do they cost?
As of right now, Cap-able t-shirts are priced at $310 and sweaters are going for $455.
Meanwhile, jogging bottoms are being sold at around $300.
