Autumn magazine launch: Facial recogniton presents perils for privacy

“Put your hand up if you’re concerned at the moment about facial recognition”, Geoff White, investigative technology journalist, told the audience at the launch of the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine. “Keep your hands up if you own a smartphone”, was White’s next instruction to the majority of the audience. “Good news. You’re already using facial recognition!”

The autumn issue of the magazine, on the theme of borders, investigates how border forces around the world are increasingly clamping down on the free movement of ideas. The worrying and growing trend of travellers’ social media accounts being checked as they enter a country was a particular focus of the magazine. Contributors questioned whether people would begin to self-censor their online presence for fear of their views being held against them at airport security. This could pose particular dangers to LGBT travellers travelling through countries with repressive laws.  

The launch was part of the Science Museum’s September’s late event, which takes place monthly. The theme of the night was Top Secret, and Index on Censorship shared the venue with talks about cracking codes and personal security. White was joined on stage by Jacob Wilkin, a penetration tester. Their talk was introduced by Rachael Jolley, editor of Index on Censorship magazine. 

Wilkin, above, demonstrated how easily computer programmes can find these social media accounts with minimal information. Wilkin describes himself as “a hacker for the good guys”, testing for flaws in the security of corporations and banks. He has created a facial recognition programme called Social Mapper.

Social Mapper correlates people’s social media profiles based on an image and a name that is fed into it. Days before the launch, Jodie Ginsburg, CEO of Index on Censorship, volunteered a photo of herself to Wilkin to run through his programme. Her Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook profiles promptly appeared on the wall behind Wilkin. “This took two minutes” he said. “If you run this over multiple days with multiple machines, you can collect all the Linkedin data for a whole organisation.”

We're hiring

Head of Communications, Online & Media

Index on Censorship, one of the world’s leading freedom of expression organisations, is looking for a Head of Comms, Online & Media to help support the organisation to grow its profile and coverage of freedom of expression. You will also edit and oversee the website. 

If you are brilliant at communicating information to a wide range of people and great at getting media coverage, then this could be the job for you. If you love to innovate and use online to reach different audiences in different ways then we want to hear from you.

Full details

Index is seeking applicants for its Free Speech Is For Me advocates program. The aim is to equip a broad new range of individuals to challenge censorship, defend speech rights and champion freedom of expression for all. Applications close soon.

US librarian feared people would spit in her food over library books

Libraries are often the first place children experience the joy of reading. But what happens when a community attempts to censor the collection so that it reflects just one worldview?

Courtney Kincaid, assistant library director at North Richland Hills Library, told her harrowing story of being at the frontline of a battle over books at her library in Texas, in which she was sacked from boards, was followed from her work and did not eat out for fear people would spit in her food. 

All of this because the library stocked two children’s books.  

Swearing: It's fucking vital for free speech

“There is no grey area when someone swears at you,” said Rebecca Roache, senior lecturer in philosophy at the Royal Holloway University of London. Other types of rudeness may have been unintended, but swearing is an unambiguous attack. Roache gathered together a panel of professionals and academics to offer their perspectives on the part swearing plays in communication and expression in modern society, for her workshop Swearing by the Rules: A Workshop on the Regulation of Swearing. 

Hosted by Royal Holloway University in leafy Bedford Square, the air was thick with expletives as the nature of swearing was discussed. Why is swearing offensive? Is fuck only a swearword because we’ve all agreed that it is? Are there any benefits of swearing? Would the regulation of swearing compromise the freedom of expression of those being regulated? 

We sent Index's new Tim Hetherington Fellow Orna Herr to listen in on the cussing.

International Editors’ Roundtable

Join Index on Censorship magazine’s editor-in-chief Rachael Jolley at the International Editors’ Roundtable at the IWM in Vienna, where Jolley will be a panellist.

Index at the Power of Print seminar

Now in its ninth year, the Power of Print seminar attracts 200 leaders from the print, paper, publishing, packaging and media industries. Hear from a diverse range of global experts, including Index on Censorship CEO Jodie Ginsberg, exploring the challenges, innovations and opportunities for print and paper in today’s multi-media world.