Facial recognition doesn’t ask for your consent. It just takes.
You walk down the street. Smile at a camera you don’t see. That face? It’s logged. Scanned. Tagged. Cross referenced with five databases. Welcome to the permanent lineup.
If you’re not masking up, you’re not anonymous.
And if you’re not anonymous, you’re already profiled.
Public Space Is No Longer Neutral
The moment you step outside, you’re scanned.
Not hypothetically. Literally.
- Traffic cameras
- Storefront CCTVs
- Smart poles
- ATM sensors
- Retail face matchers
All of it tied together by facial recognition and increasingly powered by AI.
You don’t have to be doing anything “suspicious.”
Just existing is enough to get indexed.
This isn’t surveillance you opt into.
It’s surveillance by default.
The Face Is the Weakest Link
You can encrypt your phone.
Use cash. Kill your location.
But your face?
Your face broadcasts a global unique identifier. It connects your online accounts, your government ID, your public transit check in, and your grocery run.
Once matched, every “private” action becomes retroactively traceable.
That’s the power of biometric surveillance and that’s why your face is a vulnerability.
The Fix? Mask Up. Literally.
Forget fashion. Forget social expectations. This is about tactical visibility management. Since covid medical masks have become ubiquitous now, use it as an explanation if you need to.
Physical Counter Surveillance Checklist
- Use a non-patterned, solid colored mask
Avoid prints. Go matte. Reduce algorithmic contrast. - Top it with a hat or hood
Cast shadows. Break up forehead, eyebrows, and hairline contours. - Add sunglasses with a wide frame
Eyes are biometric gold. Block them fully. - Change your walk
Gait analysis is real. Switch it up. Be unpredictable. - Skip stores with facial recognition
Major retailers test facial cams for “loss prevention”. Don’t feed them footage. - Skip selfies and group photos that are going to get posted online.
Do I really need to explain this?
What About the Laws?
Laws are slow. Surveillance is fast.
By the time legislation bans one method, five new ones have already rolled out.
Even in places where facial recognition is “limited,” private companies still run it.
And cops still buy access.
The state doesn’t need to build the surveillance machine.
It just rents time on it.
Don’t wait for permission to reclaim your privacy.
My Experience: From Visible to Ghosted
I used to walk around thinking anonymity was passive.
Just stay low, avoid attention, and you’re fine.
Wrong.
I started noticing the same unmarked camera dome at every gas station. Caught sight of another one when I walked into a bar. Had a friend talking about how cool the Lenso.ai was.
It clicked: I wasn’t flying under the radar. I was fully mapped.
Now? I wear the mask.
People stare. Let them.
Better to be stared at than scanned, tagged, and logged.
Not Just the State
Corporate surveillance is worse.
Amazon Ring feeds the cops.
Facebook builds facial profiles from your friend’s photos.
Apple scans your face every time you unlock your phone.
You are not a product? Try telling that to the camera at the grocery store entrance, running demographic analysis in real time.
They don’t need your name. Just your face. That’s enough to connect the rest.
Reclaiming Public Space Tactically
Being in public doesn’t mean giving up control.
Here’s how to make your presence harder to profile:
Urban OPSEC Tactics
- Map known camera zones in your area
Use OpenStreetMap or citizen led surveillance mapping projects. - Enter stores at off angles
Many facial cams are rigged to doorways. Avoid straight on entry. - Use short, erratic routes
Don’t walk the same way every day. Break patterns. - Check for reflections
Windows and mirrors bounce face data to cams you don’t see. - Travel during weather
Rain, wind, fog, and masks work better than legislation. - Wear the same outfit across multiple unrelated outings.
Blend or confuse, depending on your goal.
You don’t owe anyone your biometric trail.
Move like it matters. Because it does.
Final Thought
You wouldn’t leave your password on a Post-it.
Don’t leave your face on every camera in town.
Cover it. Break the scan.
Force the system to guess.
You’re not paranoid. You’re observant.
You’re not hiding. You’re refusing to be indexed.
Claw it back.
-GHOST
Written by GHOST, creator of the Untraceable Digital Dissident project.
This is part of the Untraceable Digital Dissident series — tactical privacy for creators and rebels.
Explore more privacy tactics at untraceabledigitaldissident.com.