Why Taylor Swift secretly used facial recognition software on her fans
Swifties, you are being watched
CELEBRITY Taylor swift
When you're as famous as Taylor Swift, sometimes you have to take extra measures to ensure your safety. But is recording concertgoers without their knowledge taking things one step too far?
A recent report revealed that Swift set up a kiosk at one of her concerts displaying clips of her rehearsals to draw fans in close enough that a facial-recognition camera inside could take their photos, chief security officer Mike Downing told Rolling Stone. Those images were then sent to a "command post" in Nashville, where they were cross-referenced with a database of hundreds of the pop star's known stalkers.
Isn't everyone who goes to a T-Swift concert a Taylor Swift stalker?
— goueeik (@goueeik) December 14, 2018
Swift's stalkers have repeatedly made headlines for their creepy behavior, including one who was caught trespassing at her Beverley Hills home while carrying a knife, rope, and ammunition. Billboard reports that another one of Swift's stalkers broke into her New York townhouse and didn't take jewelry, or worn underwear, or anything of value, but rather a nice long nap in her bed.
So, out of fear from seriously dangerous people, Swift set up a smart trap to mesmerize each of her fans and secretly employed advanced technology to comb through thousands of their faces. But did she overstep?
For those upset at this...Christina Grimmie was unavailable for comment, as she was shot and killed at her own concert in June 2016 by a stalker.
— Adam Moreira (@aemoreira81) December 14, 2018
With Facebook's suspected involvement in elections, advertisements popping up for things you just spoke aloud about, and your laptop camera staring at you creepily all day long, the rising fear of surveillance is turning into a real threat and infringement on privacy. Swift's concertgoers don't know who owns those photos or how long they will be on file, and this technology could do a lot worse in the wrong hands.
One thing is for sure, you do not want to be enemies with Taylor Swift.