privacy – Artificial Intelligence https://ars.electronica.art/ai/en Ars Electronica Festival 2017 Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:43:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6 Project KOVR https://ars.electronica.art/ai/en/project-kovr/ Tue, 15 Aug 2017 17:28:23 +0000 https://ars.electronica.art/ai/?p=1303

Leon Baauw, Marcha Schagen (NL)

We humans are creating an enormous invisible network on top of our existing biosphere–the infosphere. The infosphere consists of networks and radio waves. lt’s our new, ever-expanding environment that is growing at a staggering rate. Yet we roam around unprotected with privacy­-sensitive data, which might easily be tracked and misused by virtually anyone. We are not in control of our own privacy anymore. And privacy is what makes us human.

Clothing has always been a means to protect ourselves against the threats of the biosphere, and Project KOVR protects the individual from the infosphere. By testing and combining different layers of metalliferous fabrics, Dutch designers Schagen and Baauw found an effective solution to protect the individual and his/her everyday tech-devices from radio waves and radiation. The black pockets allow the wearer to still be reachable with their device of choice. Project KOVR is a wearable countermovement designed for people who want to regain control.

Credits

Telefication Zevenaar, Niederlande

Foto: Suzanne Waijers

About the artist

Started in 2016, Project KOVR (pronounced cover) is an ongoing project of Dutch designers Marcha Schagen (NL) and Leon Baauw (NL). The name originates from Esperanto, created to be an easy­ to-learn, universal language that puts aside political and cultural differences and enhances communication transparency. The project is a result of a unique complementary and multidisciplinary collaboration between two designers embodying different fields of work. Whereas Utrecht based Schagen (1991) creates fashion, wearable objects, and performances, Baauw (1991), works as a (graphic) designer, researcher, and educator from Rotterdam. Their shared vision and interest in contemporary and future social affairs led to what is now known as Project KOVR.

Lesen Sie mehr auf: starts-prize.aec.at.

This project is presented in the framework of the STARTS Prize 2017. STARTS Prize received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 732019.

eulogos2017

]]> SoniControl https://ars.electronica.art/ai/en/sonicontrol/ Tue, 08 Aug 2017 16:44:41 +0000 https://ars.electronica.art/ai/?p=3695

Peter Kopciak (AT), Kevin Pirner (AT), Alexis Ringot (FR), Florian Taurer (AT), Matthias Zeppelzauer (AT)

Acoustic tracking information is increasingly used to exchange information between mobile devices and to track users and their behavior. Beyond this, acoustic tracking makes it possible to track users across several devices. The exchange of tracking information is performed in the ultrasound band, which is inaudible for humans. The user is thus usually not aware of this data exchange. Since more and more users activate their microphones permanently to enable speech inputs, ultrasound tracking can happen at any time.

The goal of the SoniControl project is the development of a novel technology for the recognition and masking of acoustic tracking information as well as the development of a mobile application that provides this technology to end-users to protect their privacy. An ultrasonic firewall is developed that recognizes acoustic tracking information and notifies the user about it. Thereby, the user’s attention is drawn to this technology. Furthermore, the SoniControl technology makes it possible to block undesired acoustic tracking information to preserve the privacy of the user.

Credits

Supporters: St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Netidee Open Innovations, Internet Privatstiftung Austria (IPA)

]]> Big Poop Data (.com) https://ars.electronica.art/ai/en/big-poop-data/ Tue, 08 Aug 2017 09:51:43 +0000 https://ars.electronica.art/ai/?p=2502

Robert Miller (AT), Nico Rameder (AT), Daniel Wetzelhütter (AT), Max Wolschlager (AT)

The toilet at Metalab in Vienna is the epicenter of the Big Poop Data project.

Robert Miller, Nico Rameder, Daniel Wetzelhütter and Max Wolschlager equipped their crapper with a shitload of sensors as a means of gathering information about WC-goers’ use of toilet paper and water, as well as the average length of time they take to do their business. The purveyors of Big Poop Data intend this as a critical commentary on the increasingly pervasive obsession with digital data-gathering, and as an appeal to safeguard our digital privacy.

]]>