AI Model Creates Invisible Digital Masks to Defend Against Unwanted Facial Recognition

Just as a chameleon changes colors to mask itself from predators, new AI-powered technology is protecting people’s photos from online privacy threats.

The innovative model, developed at Georgia Tech, creates invisible digital masks for personal photos to thwart unwanted online facial recognition while preserving the image quality.

Anyone who posts photos of themselves risks having their privacy violated by unauthorized facial image collection. Online criminals and other bad actors collect facial images by web scraping to create databases.

These illicit databases enable criminals to commit identity fraud, stalking, and other crimes. The practice also opens victims to unwanted targeted ads and attacks.