This AI tool can now turn common household photos into location clues; So could law enforcement use the technology to search your home?
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- An artificial intelligence tool called Raven can cross-reference fixtures, fittings and other interior details to find the location of a property.
- Identify properties using data pulled from Airbnb and other sites.
- Raven was previously known as GeoSpy and was initially conceived to identify locations based on landmarks.
A new artificial intelligence tool that can identify the location of a property using photographs of the interior has been published online. Already used by law enforcement agencies in Florida and California, Raven uses AI to match props and décor from photos with information obtained online.
Following the release of a video demonstrating the software, Raven has drawn the attention of some of the websites it apparently uses to acquire the information it uses. Sites including Airbnb appear to have concerns about how the data and images they collect are used.
Raven’s existence could potentially be used to find the location of any property, assuming its address and similar images already exist online.
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Raven has been used by the Los Angeles police and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Its primary goal so far has been to combat human trafficking, but the software poses obvious privacy challenges that its creators appear to be evading at this stage.
The most important takeaway is that as long as your home (or business premises) has not been used for criminal activity and photos of its interior are not online, you have nothing to worry about.
Daniel Heinen of Raven developers Graylark described the product as “AI designed specifically for people working to find answers and protect lives.”
However, some of the websites Raven uses to collect information have expressed concern. The video of Raven in action appears to show the software using Zillow, Vrbo, and Airbnb, with the latter checking things out. Zillow stated that extracting their data was against their terms of service.
These issues could prove a challenge to the successful use of Raven in a broader area.
Matching interiors
Raven essentially violates privacy by providing the location of an indoor photo. Assuming a similar photo of the same interior exists online with an address attached, such as on Airbnb or a property site, then Raven should be able to identify it.
Heinen doesn’t mention privacy challenges in his LinkedIn post about Raven, instead focusing on the software’s “ability to geolocate interior images in millions of short-term rental units around the world.”
While highlighting the use of short-term rentals for human trafficking, the post focuses on Raven’s USP: “For investigators, a photo or video of the interior of a property can be a critical clue, but without an address or location tag, knowing where to start can be difficult. Raven helps investigators match interior images to potential properties, turning visual clues into location clues they can review and verify.”
It seems likely that for Raven to be successfully adopted by other police departments in the US and beyond, it would have to agree to regional privacy laws and establish partnerships with the companies it appears to be eliminating.
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