A simple algorithm to generate questionable content.

[elfs]

It occurred to me that there is a third interesting alogrithm that could well lead to an interesting legal conundrum. "Skin Feature Extraction and Detection" is used by a number of filtering programs to detect porn and take the appropriate action; I'm often surprised that the option hasn't been incorporated into GIMP as a "filter the human out of the background" engine.

So, here's the scenario: You use this algorithm first to "detect clothes," and mark all the clothed regions of a body as "damage." Then, using a database entirely of nudes (and I'm quite sure there are tens of millions of those on the Internet), you "repair" the image using the Scene Completion algorithm. It would probably work best against bikini photos.

So, you run this program against the flickr group 'bikinis', or the Google Images search term "in a bikini". What's the likelihood that this algorithm, completely innocently and without human intervention or consideration, will produce something arguably illegal?

Comments

[aprivatefox.livejournal.com]

Reading this, I can't help but recall my last interaction with the Skin Feature algorithm for use in porn-detection on a website. The webmasters had discovered that the algorithm had a huge flaw in practical use - high-confidence photos were either porn or close to it, or they were baby photos.

Plans to use the algorithm for automated warning of users were summarily scrapped, though I've heard it does mean there are now a cadre of people who sift through algorithmically tagged images separating the kiddies from the porn.

(Of course, your approach solves this problem, by having a pre-selected pool of data with few false positives.)

I'd actually think the results of an algorithm like this could be displayed as art, if you found a gallery liberal enough to let you do it. It's certainly a coherent statement on the blurring between photo-as-record and photo-as-artificial, taking the audience out of their comfort zone by converting an image from a nonsexual context to a sexual one without human intent.

[polydad.livejournal.com]

>What's the likelihood that this algorithm, completely innocently and
>without human intervention or consideration, will produce something
>arguably illegal?

I'd say virtually certain, by putting adult body features on an underage body.

best,

Joel. Who doesn't personally know anyone who was "legal" for their first sexual experience.

[dossy.livejournal.com]

Indeed, is computer-generated child pornography (as hypothesized) still child pornography?

Scary thought.

[polydad.livejournal.com]

By current law, not only is it legally child pornography, you can go to jail for a very long time for having it on your computer whether you knew it was there or not, or whether you took any action or made any decisions to obtain it or not.

Since I'm not at the moment being paid to do legal research, though, I'm not going to go find the citations.

best,

Joel. Who figures that the time for panicking is long since past, and all that remains to do is figure out actions to take and take them.

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

Under UK law, the image only has to look like a photograph, and the person in the picture only has to look under-18. There isn't a proof-of-age defence.

Since the age of consent in England is 16, I think setting the age limit for child porn at 18 is stupid. I don't think it's stupid to keep under-18s out of the porn business, but this is very much a case of using a hammer to turn that problem into a nail.

[intrepid-reason.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, interesting.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Hmm - need one pass to identify male/female too. Or a random number generator for the entertainment factor....

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

Now that would be one for the lawyers to argue about.

Though maybe not as much potential as furry porn might have.

[(Anonymous)]

Stranger than Britain's 18 boundary vs 16 age of consent by far is...

At 16 if you can find a partner you can see and do literally anything with them, but you can't watch porn until 18.