Taylor Swift is using facial recognition technology to ID her "hundreds" of stalkers

Swift with one of her stalkersPhoto: Anna Webber (Getty Images)

Now that facial recognition software is becoming integrated into our daily routine, its uses are becoming more and more refined. Global pop stars like Taylor Swift, for example, are using it to help identify her stalkers, of which she was, according to this Rolling Stone feature, “hundreds.”

It reads:

Taylor Swift fans mesmerized by rehearsal clips on a kiosk at her May 18th Rose Bowl show were unaware of one crucial detail: A facial-recognition camera inside the display was taking their photos. The images were being transferred to a Nashville “command post,” where they were cross-referenced with a database of hundreds of the pop star’s known stalkers, according to Mike Downing, chief security officer of Oak View Group, an advisory board for concert venues including Madison Square Garden and the Forum in L.A.

Facial-recognition technology is, apparently, “on the rise at stadiums and areans,” not to mention capable of identifying your slack-jawed mug in just half a second. Ticketmaster, who just invested in a service called Blink Identity, says they’re hoping to use it to help concertgoers move through turnstiles more efficiently.

If this all sounds invasive and dystopian to you, we have but one piece of advice: Become a juggalo.

About the author

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a Chicago-based writer and occasional playwright. He is a senior writer at Consequence of Sound and a talking head in Best Worst Movie, the documentary about Troll 2.

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