As Artificial Intelligence continues to evolve; there will inevitably be pros and cons to how it is used. For example, facial recognition. It can be used to detect different animals, places and faces. Meta data now records everything we snap photos of: location, time, place. Now, facial recognition can do that too. We all had our doubts about it regarding our iPhones using our faces to unlock our phones, but now the implications are much bigger.
Facial recognition technology presents both opportunities and challenges. It can offer benefits like enhanced policing to solve crimes, as noted by Clearview AI: “these leads can help identify suspects…and make our communities safer” (Clearview AI, 2025). However, concerns arise about its misuse for minor offenses, constant surveillance, and data security risks. You can even have programs installed for at-home use. That’s right, onto your own computer. One of the faster image recognition softwares can even be downloaded at home, with detailed instructions.
(Redmond, 2018). And YOLO (one of the leading facial recognition softwares) is only improving, offering updates frequently for use. Of course, they aren’t the only ones doing it. This proposed more and more questions about how safe our privacy is, even when we are out in public?
In an age where our biometric data is at risk, some companies are fighting back. Capable Designs can set you up in anti-ai fits starting at $635.
The company actually used ai to develop patterns to confuse Ai Facial Recognition softwares. They took the algorithm used by YOLO to identify people, and created the opposite image, to print on clothing (Bandara, 2022). Privacy fears are amplified by the potential for hacking and unauthorized data use, as biometric data cannot be easily changed (Erika, 2024). Innovative solutions like “adversarial patches” on clothing aim to counteract facial recognition systems by confusing algorithms (Bandara, 2025). It will either completely not detect the person, or confuse it with part of the pattern (Bandara, 2025). These clothing items were developed to help protect people’s identity when these websites can scan their image and provide details about them. The old design, which was just a printed image, were about 50% accurate, the newest patterned designs are far more successful (Bandara, 2025). Despite these efforts, the debate over balancing safety and privacy persists.
Maybe this will become a trend. If the patterns aren’t quite your style, you can use LED goggles to do the job. These lights work to fool the “sensitivity characteristics on cameras” (BBC, 2013). Again, rendering facial Ai unable to identify you as a person. 
No matter how you choose to, or not to, worry about facial recognition, it won’t be going away. Innovations like the companies listed here may be the way to save our faces (from privacy and data theft).
Interested in more options? Check out this link for your anti-ai shopping needs: https://www.businessinsider.com/clothes-accessories-that-outsmart-facial-recognition-tech-2019-10#a-japanese-college-professor-designed-goggles-fitted-with-leds-that-thwart-facial-recognition-5
Citations:
Bandara, P. (2022, November 21). Real-life “Invisibility cloak” stops AI cameras from recognizing people. PetaPixel. https://petapixel.com/2022/11/21/real-life-invisibility-cloak-stops-ai-cameras-from-recognizing-people/
Bandara, P. (2023, January 20). This clothing line tricks AI cameras without covering your face. PetaPixel. https://petapixel.com/2023/01/20/this-clothing-line-tricks-ai-cameras-without-covering-your-face/
BBC. (2013, January 22). “privacy visor blocks facial recognition software.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21143017
Clearview Ai. (2025). GAIN INTELLIGENCE. DISRUPT CRIME. Retrieved from https://app-na1.hubspotdocuments.com/documents/6595819/view/454213344?accessId=50f575
Erika. (2024, May 22). Facial recognition pros and cons: All you need to know. DeepSea. https://www.deepseadev.com/en/blog/facial-recognition-pros-and-cons/
Redmon, J. (n.d.)(2018). Yolo: Real-time object detection. https://pjreddie.com/darknet/yolo/
Comments
4 responses to “Hiding from Ai Facial Recognition”
All of the nefarious uses of AI are already being done – now add voice replication and facial recognition? I went to the bank today and withdrew all my cash and I’m hiding it under my mattress – *moans as I realize I just revealed my hiding place of my $400.
I won’t be shocked if this becomes a real problem very soon! Time for my bank to stop trusting my calls because they “know me and my number”
While I’m in agreement with using Facial Recognition AI to identify and detain criminal elements, if it somewhat concerning regarding the use of this technology globally. There are significant risks for Identity theft and misidentification. Our privacy is a concern in that protecting data is a practice that is supported by law. As Oloid (2024) points out, the issues related to privacy can be resolved in multiple ways to prevent Identity Theft. It will require that platforms to support guardrails that strike the balance between public safety and individual privacy.
Oloid Desk(1/12/2024); https://www.oloid.ai/blog/facial-recognition-and-data-privacy/
It’s also scary to consider the privacy concerns that already exist with ethics and policing. For instance, DNA sites which have been investigated for sharing data with third parties. https://www.fastcompany.com/40580364/the-ftc-is-investigating-dna-firms-like-23andme-and-ancestry-over-privacy