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Orwell's nightmare? Facial recognition for animals promises a farmyard revolution
www.greenwichtime.com ^ | Published 8:56 am EDT, Monday, August 24, 2020 | Anna Fifield

Posted on 08/24/2020 10:32:16 AM PDT by Red Badger

YECHANG, China - There are many challenges to applying facial recognition technology to animals: Pigs don't have distinguishing features and cows often want to lick the cameras. But there is an advantage: Farmyard inhabitants tend not to complain about impingements on their civil liberties.

Having mastered facial recognition for humans to an alarmingly precise degree, even picking out wanted criminals from huge crowds, Chinese tech whizzes are turning their attention to furrier faces.

"We've been using it for sheep, pigs and cows," said Zhao Jinshi, who studied at Cornell University and founded Beijing Unitrace Tech, a company developing software for the agriculture industry.

"For pigs, it's more difficult because pigs all look the same, but dairy cows are a bit special because they are black and white and have different shapes," Zhao said as he checked on the technology installed in a pilot project here at a farm in Hebei province, outside Beijing.

China has led the world in developing facial recognition capabilities. There are almost 630 million facial recognition cameras in use in the country, for security purposes as well as for everyday conveniences like entering train stations and paying for goods in stores.

But authorities also use the technology for sinister means, such as monitoring political dissidents and ethnic minorities.

One Chinese AI company, Megvii, which has been blacklisted by the Department of Commerce for alleged involvement in the Chinese government's repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang, is applying its technology to a program to recognize dogs by their nose prints. Other tech companies around the world have had a go at identifying chimpanzees, dolphins, horses and lions, with varying degrees of success.

(Excerpt) Read more at greenwichtime.com ...


TOPICS: Agriculture; Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Gardening
KEYWORDS: animals; china; facialrecognition; redchina
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1 posted on 08/24/2020 10:32:16 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Ping!.....................


2 posted on 08/24/2020 10:32:34 AM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................)
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To: Red Badger
"For pigs, it's more difficult because pigs all look the same"

Is it OK to say that?

3 posted on 08/24/2020 10:34:02 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Well, I don’t think the pigs will mind................


4 posted on 08/24/2020 10:35:34 AM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................)
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To: ClearCase_guy

only if you don’t differentiate her by calling her fat


5 posted on 08/24/2020 10:35:41 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Progressives are existential American enemies.....all of them)
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To: Red Badger

“Farmyard inhabitants tend not to complain about the impingement upon their civil liberties.”

First, I corrected the grammar. ;)

Secondly, Farmyard inhabitants? We are ALL free range animals on a giant Tax Farm!

We raise hunting dogs and my Mom is always amazed that I can remember all 14 of the current pack members names, LOL! I’ve known them all since the minute they were born, Mom!

How do you tell me and my sister apart? :)


6 posted on 08/24/2020 10:41:05 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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Napoleon: “If you want a vision of the future, Boxer, imagine a cloven hoof stamping on an equine face—forever.”


7 posted on 08/24/2020 10:42:32 AM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Some animals are more equal than others...................


8 posted on 08/24/2020 10:43:28 AM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Some animals are more equal than others...................


9 posted on 08/24/2020 10:43:28 AM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................)
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To: Red Badger

Somehow, this will be turned into a racial thing.


10 posted on 08/24/2020 10:47:31 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Voltaire: To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.)
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To: Red Badger

Democrats will love this.


11 posted on 08/24/2020 10:48:45 AM PDT by Pajamajan ( Pray for our nation. Thank the Lord for everything you have. Don't wait. Do it] today.)
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To: ClearCase_guy
"For pigs, it's more difficult because pigs all look the same"

[Is it OK to say that?]

Orwell said it - sort of. The article is paraphrasing.

12 posted on 08/24/2020 10:57:15 AM PDT by Spirochete
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To: Red Badger

Up till now farmers identified their cows by numbered tags attached to their ear.

I was once in a farm store that sold these. They hung on a board in numerical order from 1-99. A farmer walked up and wanted to buy #16 but the peg was empty.

“Why don’t they have any #16?” he asked.

I answered “Because they retired that number. She was a really great cow.”

I learned that day that farmers have no sense of humor about such things.


13 posted on 08/24/2020 11:05:47 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog (Patrick Henry would have been an anti-vaxxer.)
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To: Buckeye McFrog
I learned that day that farmers have no sense of humor about such things.

"We're getting a delivery Wednesday. May we'll have some 16s."

"Dadgummit, I can't wait until Wednesday!"

"How about 91. Just attach it upside-down."

14 posted on 08/24/2020 11:15:29 AM PDT by Spirochete
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To: Red Badger

Farm animals have had barcoded earrings and necklaces for decades. I don’t see why this should change that much.


15 posted on 08/24/2020 11:17:39 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: ClearCase_guy

Only if the pigs aren’t Chinese pigs.


16 posted on 08/24/2020 11:22:27 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Where do you find the word "except" in the 2nd Amendment?)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

I know.....I used to hang around the farmer’s co-op when I was a kid.............


17 posted on 08/24/2020 11:26:53 AM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................)
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To: Spirochete

“...or just give me some sprockets, belts and pulleys, and I’ll rig something to the PTO of my tractor that will manufacture these.”


18 posted on 08/24/2020 11:30:08 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog (Patrick Henry would have been an anti-vaxxer.)
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To: Red Badger

Be better than equal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXPyauZ7tEQ

(A little NSFW, graphic)


19 posted on 08/24/2020 12:45:56 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("All men and women were created by the, you know, you know, the thing.” -- Joe Biden 3/3/20)
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To: Red Badger

Dang, not from the Babylon Bee! 1984 meets Animal Farm.


20 posted on 08/24/2020 1:08:10 PM PDT by FormerFRLurker (Keep calm and vote your conscience.)
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