Key facts
- Urban Privacy designs clothing to disrupt AI surveillance.
- Jackets feature face-like patterns and asymmetric cuts.
- Smartphone pouches block GPS tracking and network signals.
- A QR code scarf redirects attempts to photograph it.
- German plans for AI-powered smart cameras in public spaces are underway.
- Privacy advocates warn of blanket tracking and loss of anonymity.
Leipzig-based startup Urban Privacy is creating fashion designed to thwart AI surveillance cameras and data tracking. The company's products, such as jackets with face-like patterns and asymmetric cuts, aim to confuse AI algorithms used for identification and gender assignment. Additionally, they offer a smartphone pouch that completely disconnects the device from the network, blocking GPS tracking.
Nicole Scheller, a designer at Urban Privacy, explained that the motivation stems from concerns about where digital data ends up, likening it to a new resource. The startup also developed a QR code scarf that displays a link, no-photos-pls.com, when someone attempts to take a photo of it.
This initiative comes as surveillance technology becomes more prevalent. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt recently announced plans to equip railway stations with smart cameras capable of capturing biometric data. However, privacy advocates like the NGO AlgorithmWatch have criticized these measures, warning they could lead to blanket tracking and the end of anonymity, potentially deterring political activity.
Conversely, the German Police Union (GdP) supports the use of AI-based video systems in public spaces, viewing them as a valuable tool to assist police work by identifying irregularities more quickly and speeding up analysis, especially given limited staffing resources.