Italian fashion start-up, Cap-able, has recently launched a collection of knitted clothing that uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to protect the wearer’s biometric data from facial recognition software.

Using Clothing as a Statement of Privacy Principles

The collection, called Manifesto and created by Dr Rachele Didero, features various patterns designed to deceive facial recognition cameras in real-time, making the wearer either undetectable or identified as an animal whose prints are embedded into the adversarial patch.

The garments have been tested using YOLO, the fastest real-time object detection system. The aim of the Manifesto collection is to raise awareness about the right to biometric data privacy, an issue that affects the majority of citizens worldwide.

Despite warnings that the technology breaches privacy and violates civil liberties, France has legalized the use of intelligent video surveillance for major events, including 2024 

Paris Olympics and Paralympics. This means that even though the EU lawmakers are focused on maintaining their momentum for a facial recognition ban, AI video surveillance will still be used during the upcoming Paris Olympic Games.

Facial recognition technology is becoming increasingly difficult to evade, leading to concerns about data collection by corporations and governments for nefarious purposes. According to Clearview’s CEO, Hoan Ton-That, its company has run nearly a million facial recognition searches for the US police. The company, which has been repeatedly fined millions in Europe for privacy breaches, now has 30 billion images scraped from platforms such as Facebook, taken without users’ permission.

Cap-able believes that facial information should be treated similarly to information obtained from DNA and fingerprints. The Manifesto collection is not only a shield against AI cameras but also a manifesto that intends to stimulate the debate on the importance of protecting against the improper use of facial recognition cameras.

Cap-able – Protect Privacy and Pushing Ethical Boundaries

The collection includes jumpers, t-shirts, trousers, and dresses knitted from 100% Egyptian cotton quality by Filmar, a brand that adheres to the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). According to Cap-able, the collection is effective in urban public spaces where surveillance cameras are commonly installed, with a success rate estimated at least 60%. Cap-able continues to work on improving its technology.

Cap-able CEO Rachele Didero stated, “Choosing what to wear is the first act of communication we perform every day. A choice that can be the vehicle of our values.”

Other designers have also come up with products to protect people from facial recognition technology, including Brooklyn-based designer Sara Sallam’s facial jewellery and Polish designer Ewa Nowak’s mask that can render the wearer’s face unrecognizable to surveillance cameras.