User:SorenVosBenkowskiUWEC/Fawkes (image cloaking software)

Fawkes is a face cloaking software created by the SAND (Security, Algorithms, Networking and Data) Laboratory of the University of Chicago. It is a free tool that is available as a standalone executable. The software creates small alterations in images using artificial intelligence to protect the images from being recognized and matched by facial recognition software. The alterations in the image are barely noticeable to the naked eye.

The methods that Fawkes uses can be identified as similar to adversarial machine learning. This method trains a facial recognition software using already altered images. This results in the software not being able to match the altered image with the actual image as it does not recognize them as the same image. Fawkes also uses data poisoning attacks which change the data set used to train certain deep learning models. Fawkes utilized two types of data poisoning techniques: clean label attacks and model corruption attacks. The creators of Fawkes identified using sybil images to increase the effectiveness of their software against recognition softwares.

LowKey is a software that is similar to Fawkes.

Privacy preserving machine uses techniques similar to the Fawkes software but it opts for differentially private model training. It helps to keep information in the data set private.

Applications
Fawkes image cloaking can be used on images and apps that we use everyday. However, the efficacy of the software wanes if there are cloaked and uncloaked images that the facial recognition software can utilize. The image cloaking software has been tested on high-powered facial recognition software with varied results. A similar facial cloaking software to Fawkes is called LowKey. It is available through a website. LowKey also alters images on a visual level but these alterations are much more noticeable compared to the Fawkes software.