Library teen workshop studies facial recognition technology

Facial recognition technology is becoming commonplace — from the algorithms in Facebook and Instagram, to the face verification used in the Digital ID feature of the MyColorado app. The idea of surveillance can evoke a host of conspiracies involving NSA and FBI wiretaps, drone cameras and satellite observation, but the reality is often much more banal, according to University of Colorado Boulderresearcher Janet Ruppert. Social media platforms and online retailers aggregate user data, using location information and web cookies to customize browsing experiences, target ad placement and manage preferences to varying effect.

“It’s easy to underestimate the level of surveillance that’s out there, from social media to facial recognition technology,” Teen Services Librarian David KlingKling said. “I want teens to feel empowered in situations where they aren’t being understood by the technology, like if it’s reading them as an age or gender that doesn’t fit them.”

The Longmont Public Library is hosting a workshop for local youth called “Makeup vs. AI,” looking at how makeup artistry can be used to disrupt facial recognition technology. The workshop is being hosted by Cardi Accarest — , a local drag presenter,—  and Kling in partnership with Ruppert.

Teens will learn about facial recognition technology — including how it works and how it’s used — and learn makeup skills to fool the technology through gender and age presentation. Kling, who uses they/them pronouns, wants teens to feel empowered by the program and learn about managing their digital selves.

The program is part of a partnership with the University of Colorado’s College of Media, Communication and Information, Kling said, and offers Longmont youth a free opportunity to learn about Information Sciences from experts in a way that is both fun and accessible. Ruppert approached Kling with a few options for STEM programming, they said, and the makeup workshop was a standout.

“It will expose youth to new ideas and awareness around the larger issues of surveillance and artificial intelligence technologies in their personal lives and hopefully spark engagement with our community in how to be critical thinkers and informed citizens,” Kling said.

A secondary component of the workshop is an optional study, part of a research project on youth library programming and how to support agency and imagination with technology. The workshop’s section of the larger study is learning about how teenagers, young adults and the librarians who work with them view surveillance technologies such as mass data collection, facial recognition and futures of those technologies.

Ruppert  focuses on increasing tech literacy for children and families including accessibility, digital privacy and surveillance capitalism. The “Makeup vs. AI” workshop was initially developed by Algorithmic Justice League, Ruppert said, and she wanted to bring it to Boulder County as part of her research.

Ruppert’s research looks at the presence of modern digital surveillance, in particular the cultural resignation and normative beliefs surrounding surveillance presence in modern life. Ruppert said she prefers the hands-on workshops that depart from masculine notions of STEM, ones that involve sewing or makeup.

“My interest was in how we could teach at the intersection of STEM and power without reinforcing helplessness and supporting young people’s agency,” Ruppert said.

Ruppert is interested to see how it plays out with the workshops and is excited to see how the teens engage with the program. The workshop will start with an introduction of the concepts, including the basics of facial recognition technology and some of the ways the systems have caused harm in the real world. The facial recognition algorithm used in the program estimates gender, age and emotion. The program will then get into how makeup, props and other objects can subvert and disrupt those algorithms. 

Accarest will lead the workshops — one in Longmont, one at Out Boulder County and another in Denver — and bring her style and flair to the educational opportunity. Accarest grew up in Longmont, she said, and was excited to help with the workshop at the library where her grandmother used to work. Accarest has led youth makeup classes throughout Boulder County and the Denver metro area, including at Out Boulder County and Boulder County Public Health’s OASOS — Open & Affirming Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Support — program.

There are no boundaries for what the youth can learn with the makeup or how to apply it, Accarest said. The teens will learn how to shapeshift their age and gender with only the limits in their creativity applied to fooling the facial recognition algorithms.

“I feel like throwing in a little of the creative side helps invest (the teens) and makes it more interesting than just getting a bunch of information,” Accarest said. “Making it interactive helps them feel like a part of it.”

The workshop is fully inclusive, Acarrest said. Participants don’t need to identify as members of the LGBTQ community, the fun is open to anyone between sixth and 12th grade. Accarest will teach a variety of techniques that can change prominent facial features, simulate aging, swap gender and even make more dramatic and otherworldly changes. In addition to the makeup demonstrations, there will also be masks with a variety of features to help teens change their face.

At the end of the workshop there will be a runway to show off the teens’ makeup and costuming performances, followed by a discussion from workshop participants on how the technology affects their lives. 

Kling hoped the hands-on nature and performance aspects of the presentation will showcase the collaborative nature of research

“STEM education is so important and as a library I think our role is to offer STEM programming that’s fun and engages teen interest,” Kling said.

The Library workshop will be on October 23 from 2-3 p.m. The workshop is free to attend, but registration is required.