Cops turn Download Festival into an ORWELLIAN SPY PARADISE

[Wilikon]

Face recog tech, RFID tracking – gotta love Donington Park

As if being ankle deep in a muddy field, surrounded by pretend hippies seemingly re-enacting highlights of the Battle of Waterloo was bad enough, attendees of the aptly named Download Festival will be subjected to a new police facial recognition system, and surveillance of their onsite location and expenditure via the debut of RFID wristbands.

The surveillance technologies are a new facial recognition system being rolled out by Leicestershire Police, and Download's own RFID wristbands, provided by German RFID specialists YouChip.

Leicestershire Police have been trialling NEC Corporation's NeoFace facial recognition system since April 2014, though they only announced the trial in July of that year, and seem to have been delighted with its results to date.

NeoFace has compared facial images, captured by CCTV/IPTV recordings, with facial images stored in Leicestershire's local custody database.

NEC, however, advertises its NeoFace tech as being able to offer much more in biometrics surveillance, and while the particular system to be used at Download has not been revealed, it may also be part of the company's suite.

NeoFace Watch is the mobile surveillance platform from the NeoFace suite, which functions by "integrating face matching technology with video surveillance input, while checking individuals against known photographic watch lists, and producing real-time alerts," according to a product brochure.

An interview with DC Kevin Walker, published in Police Oracle on Monday, revealed that: "Strategically placed cameras will scan faces at the Download Festival site in Donington before comparing [them] with a database of custody images from across Europe."

The Register has been told that the database of "lawfully held European custody photos" is "a stand-alone database of legally held custody photographs drawn together with partners in Europol".

In response to a Freedom of Information request The Reg filed to Leicestershire Police in April asking whether NeoFace had, or could, utilise information received from outside of its custody database – making specific reference to SIS II – we were told:

"NeoFace has been intentionally limited in scope to ensure that it only uses images held on our custody database. It is a stand-alone system that does not link with other national databases such as the PNC."

This is true, The Register understands, as the real-time facial recognition system is being considered as a "totally different project" from the existing facial recognition system that the coppers are using.

We have also learned that the Police Oracle's publication of the interview caused significant upset for management at Leicestershire Police, who did not want any advance publicity of their "new" surveillance project.

The public would have been informed that it had been placed under surveillance after the event had ended, presumably as part of a "you didn't know, therefore it wasn't intrusive", justification for the scheme.


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/11/download_festival_big_brother_playground_leicestershire_police/

[gentlemand]

Don't forget cashless payment systems that seem to have failed miserably.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3119945/Chaos-Download-Festival-useless-new-cashless-payment-crashes-leaving-music-fans-unable-pay-food-drink.html

Not very rock n'roll. I think I'll stick to festivals filled with naked crusties in future as long they stay away from me.

[ShamrockHannah]

My brother was there this year.  Seen all his pics of him and his mates on facebook. Looks like they had a wicked time there.

I know what you mean though, the whole festival scene was started my the new-age travellers and hippies. Nowadays the people that started the whole scene aren't even allowed in! What a hypocritical society we live in. It's sad really.

[newflesh]

Lol only in Blighty, if this comes the norm I'll be staying away unless I've got a decent mask (that I can smoke and drink with).

Most UK festivals are tame nowadays, Glasto back in 1999/2000 used to be chaos before they built the massive apartheid wall outside. Never paid a penny to get in, lots of nice pharmaceuticals and no mobile phone reception.

[ShamrockHannah]

Lol only in Blighty, if this comes the norm I'll be staying away unless I've got a decent mask (that I can smoke and drink with).

Most UK festivals are tame nowadays, Glasto back in 1999/2000 used to be chaos before they built the massive apartheid wall outside. Never paid a penny to get in, lots of nice pharmaceuticals and no mobile phone reception.

Those were the good old days. I've a few friends who pretty much grew up there and just generally on the road. 
It's such a shame how it's got so strict and by the book. They stop so many people from being able to enjoy themselved.
Fascism from a height!

[BCwinning]

it's sad this is happening during the 800 anniversary of the magna carta.
The kids not even caring is the kicker. Just a bunch of sheeples.

[RaginglikeaBoss]

it's sad this is happening during the 800 anniversary of the magna carta.
The kids not even caring is the kicker. Just a bunch of sheeples.

The manga carta limited the king, not the rich or the poor.  And the people who made the king sign that were the rich.  Chances are the poor didn't exactly get a bargain.

[newflesh]

Lol only in Blighty, if this comes the norm I'll be staying away unless I've got a decent mask (that I can smoke and drink with).

Most UK festivals are tame nowadays, Glasto back in 1999/2000 used to be chaos before they built the massive apartheid wall outside. Never paid a penny to get in, lots of nice pharmaceuticals and no mobile phone reception.

Those were the good old days. I've a few friends who pretty much grew up there and just generally on the road. 
It's such a shame how it's got so strict and by the book. They stop so many people from being able to enjoy themselved.
Fascism from a height!

You're right it is a damn shame, even if you go to an illegal rave nowadays they get shut down within hours because someone tweets or texts about it lol. One of my mates used to organise free parties but he gave up in the end due to the plod always shutting them down. There's so much health and safety red tape it's nearly impossible to organise an event without spending shitloads of money.

it's sad this is happening during the 800 anniversary of the magna carta.
The kids not even caring is the kicker. Just a bunch of sheeples.

Wasn't that long ago David Cameron didn't even know what the Magna Carta was:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9571852/David-Camerons-ignorance-over-Magna-Carta-and-Rule-Britannia-exposed.html

[Trifixion713]

Reading stuff like this is surreal. I knew it was coming, just had no idea I'd see it in my lifetime.

[BCwinning]

it's sad this is happening during the 800 anniversary of the magna carta.
The kids not even caring is the kicker. Just a bunch of sheeples.

The manga carta limited the king, not the rich or the poor.  And the people who made the king sign that were the rich.  Chances are the poor didn't exactly get a bargain.

It is more than just that simple. But yes the poor always gets screwed.

[Spendulus]

Face recog tech, RFID tracking – gotta love Donington Park

As if being ankle deep in a muddy field, surrounded by pretend hippies seemingly re-enacting highlights of the Battle of Waterloo was bad enough, attendees of the aptly named Download Festival will be subjected to a new police facial recognition system, and surveillance of their onsite location and expenditure via the debut of RFID wristbands.

The surveillance technologies are a new facial recognition system being rolled out by Leicestershire Police, and Download's own RFID wristbands, provided by German RFID specialists YouChip.

Leicestershire Police have been trialling NEC Corporation's NeoFace facial recognition system since April 2014, though they only announced the trial in July of that year, and seem to have been delighted with its results to date.

NeoFace has compared facial images, captured by CCTV/IPTV recordings, with facial images stored in Leicestershire's local custody database.

NEC, however, advertises its NeoFace tech as being able to offer much more in biometrics surveillance, and while the particular system to be used at Download has not been revealed, it may also be part of the company's suite.

NeoFace Watch is the mobile surveillance platform from the NeoFace suite, which functions by "integrating face matching technology with video surveillance input, while checking individuals against known photographic watch lists, and producing real-time alerts," according to a product brochure.

An interview with DC Kevin Walker, published in Police Oracle on Monday, revealed that: "Strategically placed cameras will scan faces at the Download Festival site in Donington before comparing [them] with a database of custody images from across Europe."

The Register has been told that the database of "lawfully held European custody photos" is "a stand-alone database of legally held custody photographs drawn together with partners in Europol".

In response to a Freedom of Information request The Reg filed to Leicestershire Police in April asking whether NeoFace had, or could, utilise information received from outside of its custody database – making specific reference to SIS II – we were told:

"NeoFace has been intentionally limited in scope to ensure that it only uses images held on our custody database. It is a stand-alone system that does not link with other national databases such as the PNC."

This is true, The Register understands, as the real-time facial recognition system is being considered as a "totally different project" from the existing facial recognition system that the coppers are using.

We have also learned that the Police Oracle's publication of the interview caused significant upset for management at Leicestershire Police, who did not want any advance publicity of their "new" surveillance project.

The public would have been informed that it had been placed under surveillance after the event had ended, presumably as part of a "you didn't know, therefore it wasn't intrusive", justification for the scheme.


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/11/download_festival_big_brother_playground_leicestershire_police/

Can someone clarify what is the "custody database" they are talking about?

Here in the US the way this would come down is they would claim they were just looking for the "10 most wanted" escaped felons, then in fact they would use it to arrest everyone that showed up that had an unpaid traffic ticket.

Color me cynical, maybe.  But is that the sort of abuse that is expected from this?

[gentlemand]

Can someone clarify what is the "custody database" they are talking about?

Here in the US the way this would come down is they would claim they were just looking for the "10 most wanted" escaped felons, then in fact they would use it to arrest everyone that showed up that had an unpaid traffic ticket.

Color me cynical, maybe.  But is that the sort of abuse that is expected from this?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/12/download-festival-heavy-punters-the-man-police?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet

According to this the system is purely local for any outstanding warrants. I don't see why it wouldn't be linked elsewhere but that's what it claims.

[sana54210]

Face recog tech, RFID tracking – gotta love Donington Park

As if being ankle deep in a muddy field, surrounded by pretend hippies seemingly re-enacting highlights of the Battle of Waterloo was bad enough, attendees of the aptly named Download Festival will be subjected to a new police facial recognition system, and surveillance of their onsite location and expenditure via the debut of RFID wristbands.

The surveillance technologies are a new facial recognition system being rolled out by Leicestershire Police, and Download's own RFID wristbands, provided by German RFID specialists YouChip.

Leicestershire Police have been trialling NEC Corporation's NeoFace facial recognition system since April 2014, though they only announced the trial in July of that year, and seem to have been delighted with its results to date.

NeoFace has compared facial images, captured by CCTV/IPTV recordings, with facial images stored in Leicestershire's local custody database.

NEC, however, advertises its NeoFace tech as being able to offer much more in biometrics surveillance, and while the particular system to be used at Download has not been revealed, it may also be part of the company's suite.

NeoFace Watch is the mobile surveillance platform from the NeoFace suite, which functions by "integrating face matching technology with video surveillance input, while checking individuals against known photographic watch lists, and producing real-time alerts," according to a product brochure.

An interview with DC Kevin Walker, published in Police Oracle on Monday, revealed that: "Strategically placed cameras will scan faces at the Download Festival site in Donington before comparing [them] with a database of custody images from across Europe."

The Register has been told that the database of "lawfully held European custody photos" is "a stand-alone database of legally held custody photographs drawn together with partners in Europol".

In response to a Freedom of Information request The Reg filed to Leicestershire Police in April asking whether NeoFace had, or could, utilise information received from outside of its custody database – making specific reference to SIS II – we were told:

"NeoFace has been intentionally limited in scope to ensure that it only uses images held on our custody database. It is a stand-alone system that does not link with other national databases such as the PNC."

This is true, The Register understands, as the real-time facial recognition system is being considered as a "totally different project" from the existing facial recognition system that the coppers are using.

We have also learned that the Police Oracle's publication of the interview caused significant upset for management at Leicestershire Police, who did not want any advance publicity of their "new" surveillance project.

The public would have been informed that it had been placed under surveillance after the event had ended, presumably as part of a "you didn't know, therefore it wasn't intrusive", justification for the scheme.


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/11/download_festival_big_brother_playground_leicestershire_police/

Reeeetarded. Thanks for sharing. Big brother is always causing problems and I have had enough. That guy who shot at the cops from his armored truck this week had the right idea.