{"id":7897,"date":"2014-08-24T16:31:14","date_gmt":"2014-08-24T16:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/2014\/08\/24\/aria-security-is-the-old-fashioned-way-watching-people\/"},"modified":"2014-08-24T16:31:14","modified_gmt":"2014-08-24T16:31:14","slug":"aria-security-is-the-old-fashioned-way-watching-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/2014\/08\/24\/aria-security-is-the-old-fashioned-way-watching-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Aria security is the old-fashioned way \u2014 watching people"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"\"
\n\tA surveillance person who could not be identified operates a mouse to monitor table games on video screens in the surveillance monitor room at Aria Hotel & Casino,<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\tBy RACHEL CROSBY
\n\tLAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
\n\tAlways remember a face? The National Security Agency apparently does, too, thanks to controversial technology.<\/p>\n

\tMany media organizations including The New York Times reported that the agency curates millions of \u201cfacial recognition-quality\u201d images per day. These photos are intercepted from daily communications such as emails, texts and social media, and are harvested for databases used to catch terrorists.<\/p>\n

\tAdm. Michael Rogers, director of NSA, confirmed the top-secret program this June. Although Rogers declined to detail the program, he reported a 30 percent improvement in facial recognition algorithms developed since 2010.<\/p>\n

\tBut as the government funnels billions of dollarsinto expanded criminal databases and computer vision technology, why are Las Vegas casinos shying away?<\/p>\n

\tLocal cheat investigator Beverly Griffin said it\u2019s a matter of quality and data. Her company, Griffin Investigations, owns a comprehensive criminal database filled with card counters and casino cheats. Clients around the world subscribe to Griffin\u2019s database for its information, but she said the capabilities of facial recognition technology are limited by both the cameras used to record images and the system photos used to cross-check hits.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI\u2019m sure in the government sector it\u2019s working well, and I\u2019m sure that they have a very-high-quality product and a very large database,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\tBut in a casino, Griffin said, facial recognition is imprecise. Her company tried the technology when it was first available, but low-megapixel cameras combined with dark casino lighting and a lack of direct angles produced too many false positives.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAs soon as facial recognition came out, all the people (in casinos) that didn\u2019t want to be identified put on a baseball cap and sunglasses,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cIt\u2019s very simple to avoid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tCatching someone on camera, however, is not. And casino surveillance investigators are always watching.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe best facial recognition that I have is my people,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cEverybody has a feature that stands out \u2014 their nose, ears, a scar, a mole \u2014 something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tTed Whiting, director of surveillance at Aria, reiterated Griffin. Although Whiting said MGM Resorts International dabbled in computer vision in 2006, the casino operator stopped using biometrics because it wasn\u2019t accurate enough.<\/p>\n

\tInstead, Whiting relies on a small, skilled surveillance team and a complex system of cameras. The team is filled with former dealers, cage tellers, security officers \u2014 even a retired dentist. Together they patiently observe.<\/p>\n

\tHotel guests board escalators with their bags. Dealers call games and collect chips. Tired tourists trudge toward exits and onto the street.<\/p>\n

\tNearly 4,000 cameras cover activity in 98 percent of the luxury resort. Everything that happens is monitored. Every incident is recorded; every red flag investigated.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cYou can\u2019t walk through Aria without us catching your face,\u201d Whiting said. \u201cIt\u2019s virtually impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHis small group of experts looks for physical giveaways of anxiety \u2014 nervous body language and behaviors that computers can\u2019t detect.<\/p>\n

\tThe team monitors the standard deviation at tables, making sure the house advantage is always maintained. If the math is off, they peek in for a closer look.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIf you come to Aria to cheat or take advantage, you\u2019re more likely to get caught here than anywhere else,\u201d Whiting said.<\/p>\n

\tAria was the only Las Vegas casino that openly discussed its security system. Although the resort was transparent, MGM Resorts spokeswoman Yvette Monet said hotels are typically quiet about their surveillance procedures, especially following a robbery at the Bellagio that left a cage teller in shock and the casino out about $45,000.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThese are luxury resorts,\u201d Monet said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want people to feel like they\u2019re being tracked and cataloged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tJennifer Lynch, a facial recognition and privacy expert and lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco, said facial recognition could benefit casinos.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI would think that the casinos would be disinclined to talk about what they\u2019re doing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cCasinos have been trying to identify card counters for as long as people have been able to count cards. If you can use a computer to do it with facial recognition, then it is more efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tCard counting isn\u2019t illegal in Nevada, but casinos can ask a player to leave the premises if they are caught.<\/p>\n

\tGriffin said she understands facial recognition\u2019s potential value for surveillance but reiterated that it\u2019s still challenging to use it in a casino.<\/p>\n

\tYet technology progresses. So, Griffin and Whiting said they will look for ways to implement improved computer vision.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cYou can\u2019t beat a live person who has a knowledge of faces, and that\u2019s basically what we depend on \u2014 knowing faces,\u201d Griffin said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI cannot lie \u2014 it\u2019s a very interesting job. One of these days I\u2019m going to be terribly bored.\u201d<\/p>\n

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