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Table of Contents
About The Book
‘A parable for our times' FINANCIAL TIMES Best Books of 2023
'In a gripping — and sometimes creepy — book, Hill explores the repercussions of [facial recognition] technology and finds out who is behind it' THE TIMES Best Technology Books of 2023
‘Illuminating. A walk down the street will not feel quite the same again’ ECONOMIST
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When Kashmir Hill stumbled upon Clearview AI, a mysterious startup selling an app that claimed it could identify anyone using just a snapshot of their face, the implications were terrifying. The app could use the photo to find your name, your social media profiles, your friends and family – even your home address. But this was just the start of a story more shocking than she could have imagined.
Launched by computer engineer Hoan Ton-That and politician Richard Schwartz, and assisted by a cast of controversial characters on the alt-right, Clearview AI would quickly rise to the top, sharing its app with billionaires and law enforcement. In this riveting feat of reporting Hill weaves the story of Clearview AI with an exploration of how facial recognition technology is reshaping our lives, from its use by governments and companies like Google and Facebook (who decided it was too radical to release) to the consequences of racial and gender biases baked into the AI. Soon it could expand the reach of policing — as it has in China and Russia — and lead us into a dystopian future.
Your Face Belongs to Us is a gripping true story. It illuminates our tortured relationship with technology, the way it entertains us even as it exploits us, and it presents a powerful warning that in the absence of regulation, this technology will spell the end of our anonymity.
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*LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD*
'I loved this. A dark and gripping story, meticulously researched and stylishly told' JENNY KLEEMAN, author of Sex Robots & Vegan Meat
'Compelling . . . an engrossing cautionary tale' LITERARY REVIEW
‘The dystopian future portrayed in some science-fiction movies is already upon us. Kashmir Hill’s fascinating book brings home the scary implications of this new reality’ JOHN CARREYROU, author of Bad Blood
'In a gripping — and sometimes creepy — book, Hill explores the repercussions of [facial recognition] technology and finds out who is behind it' THE TIMES Best Technology Books of 2023
‘Illuminating. A walk down the street will not feel quite the same again’ ECONOMIST
______________________________________________________________________
When Kashmir Hill stumbled upon Clearview AI, a mysterious startup selling an app that claimed it could identify anyone using just a snapshot of their face, the implications were terrifying. The app could use the photo to find your name, your social media profiles, your friends and family – even your home address. But this was just the start of a story more shocking than she could have imagined.
Launched by computer engineer Hoan Ton-That and politician Richard Schwartz, and assisted by a cast of controversial characters on the alt-right, Clearview AI would quickly rise to the top, sharing its app with billionaires and law enforcement. In this riveting feat of reporting Hill weaves the story of Clearview AI with an exploration of how facial recognition technology is reshaping our lives, from its use by governments and companies like Google and Facebook (who decided it was too radical to release) to the consequences of racial and gender biases baked into the AI. Soon it could expand the reach of policing — as it has in China and Russia — and lead us into a dystopian future.
Your Face Belongs to Us is a gripping true story. It illuminates our tortured relationship with technology, the way it entertains us even as it exploits us, and it presents a powerful warning that in the absence of regulation, this technology will spell the end of our anonymity.
______________________________________________________________________
*LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD*
'I loved this. A dark and gripping story, meticulously researched and stylishly told' JENNY KLEEMAN, author of Sex Robots & Vegan Meat
'Compelling . . . an engrossing cautionary tale' LITERARY REVIEW
‘The dystopian future portrayed in some science-fiction movies is already upon us. Kashmir Hill’s fascinating book brings home the scary implications of this new reality’ JOHN CARREYROU, author of Bad Blood
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (September 28, 2023)
- Length: 352 pages
- ISBN13: 9781398509184
Raves and Reviews
'The dystopian future portrayed in some science-fiction movies is already upon us. Whether you like it or not, your face has already been scraped from the internet, stored in a giant database, and made available to law enforcement agencies, private corporations, and authoritarian governments to track and surveil you. Kashmir Hill’s fascinating book brings home the scary implications of this new reality'
– John Carreyrou, author of 'Bad Blood'
'I loved this. A dark and gripping story, meticulously researched and stylishly told'
– Jenny Kleeman, author of 'Sex Robots & Vegan Meat'
'Kashmir Hill all but invented the tech dystopia beat, and no one is a more exuberant and enjoyable guide to the dark corners of our possible future than she is. Reaching deep into the past to paint a terrifying portrait of our future, Hill’s thorough, awe-inspiring reporting and compelling storytelling paint a fascinating tale of tech’s next chapter. This is the most fun you can have reading a real-life nightmare'
– Garrett Graff, author of 'The Only Plane in the Sky'
‘Combining vivid reportage with a chilling overview of facial recognition technology’s capabilities, this unnerves’
– Publishers Weekly
‘A gripping account . . . [Hill] writes with great clarity about the dangers of facial recognition technology’
– New Statesman
'A haunting portrait of sci-fi darkness in the real world'
– Kirkus
'A breezy, compelling dive into the alarming use of face matching and the enormous consequences for privacy and civil liberties . . . an engrossing cautionary tale'
– Literary Review
‘Startling, if not terrifying . . . the author does a great job of explaining the ins and outs of facial recognition in the book . . . Be very, very careful, Hill says again and again. If we’re not, we might all face the reality of Beijing today'
– Cybernews
'So gripping'
– Taylor Lorenz, author of 'Extremely Online', on Twitter
‘I’m loving this book - you’ll laugh, you’ll recoil, you’ll learn about the sordid history of eugenics and where facial recognition tech fits into said history’
– Brian Merchant, author of 'Blood in the Machine', on Twitter
‘Gripping, illuminating. A walk down the street will not feel quite the same again’
– The Economist
'A parable for our times’
– Financial Times, Best Books of 2023: Technology
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Your Face Belongs to Us Export/Airside Paperback 9781398509184
