Ride the Lightning

"Stealth Wear" Foils (Pun Intentional) Facial Recognition

July 2, 2013

Fashion is dictated by strange masters. We now have "stealth wear," clothing that seeks to protect our identity from video cameras, stationary or mounted on drones. Courtesy of pal Dave Ries, I read a fascinating story this weekend introducing me to the work of Adam Harvey, an artist and design professor at the School of Visual Arts and an early creator of stealth wear.

His work includes a series of hoodies and cloaks that use reflective, metallic fabric like the kind used in protective gear for firefighters but repurposed to reduce a person's thermal footprint. In theory, this limits one’s visibility to aerial surveillance devices employing heat-imaging cameras to track people on the ground.

He has also made a purse with very bright LEDs for a moment when someone is taking a photo that you don't want taken – it can reduce the photo to a washed-out blur. Hollywood celebs may glom onto that one.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Informatics in Japan has produced a visor outfitted with LEDs. The user can't see the light, but it would blind some camera sensors and blur facial features.

Harvey’s items have not yet been thoroughly tested by intelligence firms or security experts, but the very concept of hiding from intrusive surveillance is bound to find favor in some quarters. They call the attire provocative – which it certainly would be to all sorts of law enforcement and intelligence agencies.