Artist identifies influencers on surveillance cameras using AI

It is not news that life in the Instagram definitely not the same as seen in real life. Clicks and videos show more what the person wants others to see than the reality itself. An artist captured several influencers who made their records for the social network, in the conditions in which the photo was taken through surveillance cameras and compared it with the final result published on Instagram. The idea is to demonstrate that it is possible to identify citizens using only resources open to the public and artificial intelligence. Look how interesting the result is.

Project “The Follower”

It's all about a project called The Follower created by Dries Depoorter, a Belgian artist who was also responsible for identifying the time when politicians were distracted on their smartphones during work sessions. The project tracks Instagram influencers in a state of content production. In the process, we can get a glimpse of the—somewhat frightening—capabilities of automated surveillance.

For its latest demonstration of the technology's perils, Depoorter analyzed feeds from open cameras — public cameras that record street scenes — that offer easy access to images from public, and sometimes even private, locations.

Dries Depoorter stored captured images at landmarks that can be identified on Instagram, those locations that can be recorded in publications. He then combed the social network for photos tagged with the locations of these cameras. His software then compared the Instagram images with the images that were captured by the open cameras.

Surveillance cameras and Instagram

According to Depoorter, their system picked influencers with over 100.000 followers. He shared some examples right where the observation was made — on Instagram. Check out an example of a publication by the project creator himself:

At first, The Follower project may seem to just show a “b-side” of the sometimes laborious activities behind the content posts we see on Instagram. But Depoorter's track record suggests he is targeting a more dangerous target.

As privacy activists have noted, its monitoring system can be considered well-regarded compared to what companies are already selling to governments. While attention-seeking influencers may get little sympathy, as the relationship says. real life vs virtual life, anyone can fall into the crosshairs of artificial intelligence surveillance.

Dries Depoorter's website

By accessing the The Follower project website, we can see a very simple and straight to the point page. He introduces the project by stating what he does: “Using open cameras and AI to find out how an Instagram photo is taken. "

Then the artist shows, in three steps, how the project is developed. Check it out:

• I recorded a selection of open cameras for weeks;
• Search all Instagram photos tagged with open camera locations;
• The software compares Instagram with recorded images.

I launched the project on September 12, 2022. YouTube video just created with 10 day results. I will post new results on my social media.

Dries Depoorter talking a little more about The Follower, a project that records how Instagram influencer posts are made

Check out a handful of the records made for the project below. The Follower, by artist Dries Depoorter:

The site also has a bar at the top with several options. In “portfolio” it is possible to check several works by the artist; “about” provides more information about Depoorter; in “shop” there is a catalog of items — somewhat creative — for sale; “calendar” has dates and events in which the artist will participate; “Instagram” takes you to your official Instagram account; “NFT” showcases a curation of more items for sale, but this time geared towards digital art; and, finally, in “mail” you can contact Depoorter via email.

See also other features

And speaking of Dires Depoorter's work with parliamentarians, check it out now: Artificial Intelligence monitors politicians distracted by smartphones.