Oxford Town Centre dataset flagged for violating pedestrian privacy

A dataset created to help with computer vision research prompted concerns about privacy, consent and surveillance. The Oxford Town Centre dataset contained video footage of approximately 2,200 pedestrians in a busy shopping area in Oxford, UK, captured without their knowledge or consent. Exposing.ai activist Adam Harvey pointed out that the dataset is 'unique in that it uses footage from a public surveillance camera that would otherwise be designated for public safety. R esearch citations showed the footage had been used in dozens of research projects with no connection to public safety, and that most of the research took place outside the UK. The dataset was used to develop public and office social distancing algorithms, notably by US company Landing AI, which posted a demonstration video featuring the Oxford Town Centre dataset. The video was deleted on YouTube after it was highlighted by Exposing.a i . The dataset remains easily and freely accessible on Kaggle and other data sharing communities. ➕ June 2020. The Oxford Town Centre dataset was removed from the University of Oxford's website. System 🤖 Oxford Town Centre Operator: Amazon; Disney; OSRAM; Huawei Developer: University of Oxford Country: UK Sector: Govt - municipal; Research/academia; Technology Purpose: Improve pedestrian detection Technology: Database/dataset; Computer vision; Facial recognition; Pattern recognition Issue: Dual/multi-use; Ethics/values; Privacy; Surveillance; Tr ansparency Investigations, assessments, audits 🧐 Harvey, A., LaPlace, J. (2019). Exposing.ai

Date it happened

2019-06-01

Organisation involved

Amazon; Disney; OSRAM; Huawei

Product, system or model

Oxford Town Centre

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.