New Facial Recognition Tech Works Even When People Are Wearing Masks

Japan’s NEC has launched a facial recognition system that works even when people are wearing masks. Customers for the tool include Lufthansa and Swiss International Airlines, Shinya Takashima, assistant manager of the company’s digital platform division, told Reuters. (BBC News also reported that London’s Metropolitan Police uses the technology.)

The system determines when a person is wearing a mask and hones in on the parts that are not covered up, such as the eyes and surrounding areas, to verify the subject’s identity. Users register a photo of their face in advance. NEC says verification takes less than one second and claims an accuracy rate of more than 99.9%. The system can be used at security gates in office buildings and other facilities. NEC is also trialing the technology for automated payments at an unmanned convenience store in its Tokyo headquarters.

 

App Sale: ‘Book Track’ Library Manager on Sale for $2

Book Track is a library manager and is currently on sale for US$1.99, down from US$4.99. Book Track is the application built for iPhone, iPad and Mac to easily keep track of the books you have purchased and which you would like to read. Manage your personal collection and wish list, searching for books by name or author, doing a barcode scan or entering them manually. Digitizing your personal library has never been easier or faster.

KRAFTGUN Massage Gun: $369.99

We have a deal on the KRAFTGUN Massage Gun. This noise-free massage gun is equipped with a brushless 24V motor and a frequency that reaches up to 40Hz. It comes with three interchangeable attachments and 3.5 hours of work time. It’s $369.99 through our deal.

‘ElectroRAT’ is the First Mac Malware Spotted in 2021

We’re barely a week into 2021 and a piece of Mac malware has already been spotted. Dubbed “ElectroRAT” its primary goal is to steal personal information from cryptocurrency users.

These [malicous] applications were promoted in cryptocurrency and blockchain-related forums such as bitcointalk and SteemCoinPan. The promotional posts, published by fake users, tempted readers to browse the applications’ web pages, where they could download the application without knowing they were actually installing malware.