Gaze-Tracking Software Protects Computer Privacy

Ponca City, We Love You writes "Two years ago computer security expert Bill Anderson read about scientific research on how the human eye moves as it reads and processes text and images. 'This obscure characteristic... suddenly struck me as (a solution to) a security problem,' says Anderson. With the help of a couple of software developers, Anderson developed a software program called Chameleon that tracks a viewer's gaze patterns and only allows an authorized user to read text on the screen, while everyone else sees gibberish. Chameleon uses gaze-tracking software and camera equipment to track an authorized reader's eyes to show only that one person the correct text. After a 15-second calibration period in which the software learns the viewer's gaze patterns, anyone looking over that user's shoulder sees dummy text that randomly and constantly changes. To tap the broader consumer market, Anderson built a more consumer-friendly version called PrivateEye, which can work with a simple Webcam to blur a user's monitor when he or she turns away. It also detects other faces in the background, and a small video screen pops up to alert the user that someone is looking at the screen. 'There have been inventions in the space of gaze-tracking. There have been inventions in the space of security,' says Anderson. 'But nobody has put the two ideas together, as far as we know.'"

Here's the Video

[Anonymous Coward]

Her's the Video of Private Eye [oculislabs.com]

Re:Flat screens!

[Anonymous Coward]

Get an IPS panel LCD instead of a cheap TN panel LCD. Costs more, but looks much better.

Re:more inexpensive solution

[OzPeter]

You do know that if you go to an auto parts store you can get almost the exact same thing for a hell of a lot less don't you?

Re:I smell venture capital PR

[timeOday]

Chameleon uses gaze-tracking software and camera equipment to track an authorized reader's eyes... "Check, that's doable now."

Well, sort of. A decent eye tracker (example 1 [smarteye.se], example 2 [tobii.com]) costs $15,000 to $30,000 (please do not request a link to a price quote - the fact that they don't list prices on their pages should be a good clue). And this scrambling system would be worse than useless with a bad eye tracker. (PS, please, please prove me wrong by posting a link to a cheap, robust, accurate eye-tracking solution!)

Re:Flat screens!

[Anonymous Coward]

Most LCDs use cheap TN panels with comparatively awful color reproduction and viewing angles. It can be a bit more difficult to find a nice display (the non-TN type), but the quality is certainly much nicer and more comparable to "classic" CRTs.

Re:Ok?

[True Vox]

Do you mean this: http://oculislabs.com/Products/ChameleonP.htm [oculislabs.com] If so... then you might consider RTFA... as this is who they're talking about lol.