Belgian artist Dries Depoorter created the project The Follower, which tracks Instagram influencers via urban surveillance cameras.
The developer analysed feeds from publicly accessible cameras that provide easy access to images of public spaces. For several weeks he recorded live streams from streets and squares.
Depoorter then downloaded all Instagram photos geotagged to the camera locations.
According to the artist, the system analysed photographs of influencers with more than 100,000 followers. The algorithm identified them at the photographed locations and provided a glimpse into how the photograph was created.
Depoorter said the project aims to demonstrate the risks posed by contemporary technologies.
Human-rights advocates said The Follower is relatively harmless compared with the tools deployed by tech giants.
«Это ничто по сравнению с тем, что коммерческие компании уже продают местным правительствам Кортрейка, Мехелена и многим другим», — написал нидерландский активист Матиас Доббелар-Велварт.
Earlier, Depoorter developed a computer-vision system that tracks politicians with phones in hand during meetings.
In August 2022, French tax authorities described how AI detected 20 000 undeclared pools.
In February, activists uncovered more than 25 000 cameras on New York streets, most of them located in neighborhoods with ethnic minority residents.
In January 2021, Amnesty International launched the Ban the Scan campaign to combat facial recognition in public spaces.
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