Google and Facebook have now made it possible to find photos of firearms by simply typing a serial number into the search box. Earlier today, the automotive website Jalopnik published a story showing how license plate numbers are evidently scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) on Google images, allowing them to be searchable using text queries. Using the OCR hypothesis, TFB wondered if this image data mining technique might be able to be used to search for firearm serial numbers. Using images posted previously on TFB with serial numbers displayed on firearms, we tested the serial number search technique. As you can see from the results below, firearm serial numbers are in fact part of this apparent large-scale data mining operation by companies like Google and Facebook.
I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked because they’ve been doing face matching for a long time now. What I don’t understand is the utility of that data from their perspective. Face matching make sense for social network because you’re trying to connect people with activities on other people’s timelines. How that is useful from a numbers perspective, meaning license plates or addresses or serial numbers on firearms or anything else, I don’t see the usefulness of that in the social media context. But it’s creepy as all get out.
I don’t see the usefulness of this, but I tested it to see what the results would be. The search came up almost empty - only eight hits and none of them remotely firearms-related for the one serial number I tried.
Besides, all a successful search would prove is that a firearm with a specific serial number was manufactured. Not who owned/owns it, or any other information.
There is significantly more publicly-available information for any VIN.
I work as a contractor for a (unnamed) company that uses HD cameras placed on particular roadways. Cameras that take 30 pictures per second capture every vehicle in every lane, both the front and back of a car/truck and is immediately available to view at our operations facility. The software immediately chooses the license plate and recognizes the letters, numbers, font, and state. The data is immediately compared to the Department of Motor Vehicle records. The location and speed is also recorded. We use that information to… sorry, can’t tell 'ya. And if you obey state laws you have no reason to even worry.
@Zee Think about the possibilities. They have your IP address, the picture has meta data which pretty much tells where and when the picture was taken. Now they have your firearm serial number which is obviously in your possession. They already have your name and quite probably your address AND they know what you drive. That makes for a pretty complete picture of you.
So putting on my tin foil hat …
You are Red Flagged or SWAT’d with the above info do you think the LEO will come take you at your house where obviously you have “Evil Gunz”. No they do a routine traffic stop for “pick a violation” and the nice officer asks you to step out of the vehicle where upon he/she disarms you and cuffs you and stuffs you into the patrol car. He/She gets on the radio and gives the go ahead to the SWAT Team to break down your door to seize your weapons. While you are cooling it in the back seat he/she calls a tow truck and has your ride impounded and you get a nice trip to the police station where nice and safely you are handed the Red Flag or SWAT warrant. Then they let you go. Unless of course you put up any resistance in which case you get charged for that and booked into the hooskow.
So you ask How did I come up with this? It’s how I’d do it, and the Gov’t spent a lot of $$$ teaching me to think this way.
no question that’s how this can be done… and I didn’t even need to add any tin foil to my hat to come up with the same story you did.
I get why some alphabet agencies would want that, and why some social-control-freak elected officials would want to do it. The part I don’t get is why facebook or instagram wants to do it.
Think about that statement and who owns the two companies and how much under reported media there is about conservatives being targeted at those companies. Then look at the crop of candidates running for the Nomination of the Democratic party and what their stances are regarding all of your freedoms. The answer will be clear.
… yeah I can string that sequence together @Craig6 … what I don’t have is enough tin foil. Or the neck brace it’s going to take to support a tin foil hat of that size.
If that is REALLY what’s happening here, the doodoo is much deeper than even my natural skepticism predicts. And THAT is Very Scary. NOT kidding, like actual adrenaline scary.
IIRC, for many years the social media companies put out annual reports listing the number of times per year they distribute info to government agencies at their request, e.g. the police, FBI, etc. I would assume much of this is related to investigating online threats. Also, it’s my understanding that many years ago social media websites/apps were used by “bad guys/gals” to coordinate “bad things.” I’m sure govt agencies have been working with them for more than a decade at analyzing data and potential threats without our knowledge.
you real sure about that? Not tryin to be a jerk… but if it’s online in any way shape or form it can be picked… that’s just how this stuff works… once it’s out there it remains…
Welcome to the real world,now when you think of protecting ones family it takes on a whole new meaning. Your home is nolonger your safe space,your safe space is your place and all those other places no one knows about. I could believe this is the result of not insuring that the law is the law as opposed to something that can be bartered about. Linking databases is easy,remember during Katrina law enforcement confiscated weapons wether from your home or if you were evacuating and had them,and they(law enforcement) saw it they took them. A passive society is a controllable society,and your rights mean very little when disarmed
Having faith in the process and the world takes a lot these days,but remember be a light,not the shade and strive to leave everyone better than when you met them. Teach em to shoot,get certified,go for training,carry concealed,protect and love. And then this to shall pass😏
