FaceMiner: Navigating the Unethical World of Data Harvesting

What is FaceMiner?

FaceMiner presents a chillingly plausible scenario where biometric data, specifically facial data, is the new gold

. Set against the backdrop of a late 90s aesthetic, the Game blends nostalgia with a sense of unease, reminding us of the era when the internet was rapidly expanding and the implications of data privacy were not yet fully understood. You start with a limited budget and a basic set of tools, and your goal is to create a highly profitable biometric data processing powerhouse.

To progress in this dystopian world, you are tasked with the challenge of escalating yourself from a low tier trainee all the way to Data Harvester. There are different types of ways to get data. You can get a large database of public figures to look for very specific traits and characteristics of each one. And what is more you can also acquire your own equipment which increases the power of your corporation exponentially.

Core Gameplay Mechanics

The core of FaceMiner’s gameplay

centers on several interconnected mechanics that drive the expansion of your biometric data empire:

• Data Acquisition: You begin by purchasing datasets from the marketplace. These datasets contain facial images, each with varying sizes and purity scores. Datasets and images can contain license-free photos, or more detailed sets. You can even mine your own faces.
• Data Classification: Once acquired, the data is loaded into a Classifier Tool. You manually classify the faces within each dataset, identifying key features and characteristics. Accurate classifications increase the value you extract from the data.
• Resource Management: Building a data empire requires careful management of resources. You need to balance your budget, monitor hardware usage (memory, CPU), and manage infrastructure resources like power and cooling to avoid system failures or financial penalties. As with any growing corporation or business venture, it is vital to pay attention to those key aspects.
• Marketplace Navigation: FaceMiner’s Marketplace has a wide variety of datasets. These sets possess unique attributes, from scale and purity to pre-processed values, which you can then exchange to your clients.
• Progression & Ranking: The journey involves making thoughtful investments, and ethical choices are just another aspect of your playthrough. This choice will determine your ranking from Trainee, the very bottom of the chain, to a more senior Data Harvester.

Navigating the Three-Strike Policy

FaceMiner introduces a «three-strike policy»

, adding a layer of financial pressure. If you are in debt for three consecutive charges, your FaceMiner session will be deactivated, forcing you to either start over or load a previously saved backup. This mechanic encourages careful financial planning and efficient resource allocation, forcing players to consider the long-term consequences of their actions.

What FaceMiner Reflects

FaceMiner, at its core, is a commentary on modern society’s relationship with data. It makes players confront serious issues on topics such as:

• Surveillance Capitalism: How tech companies, and even government agencies, increasingly view personal information as a commodity to be harvested and sold.
• Data Privacy: As we’re going through the motions of harvesting, tagging, and manipulating data, there’s that subtle, nagging feeling that what is actually going on is immoral. It forces people to evaluate what is important, and what they are willing to sacrifice to improve the product that their company develops.
• Algorithmic Bias: There is also the aspect of algorithmic bias in the data itself, or in the process it goes through.
• Data Ethics: The potential consequences of mass surveillance and the ethical responsibilities of those who collect and process personal data.

By presenting these themes in an engaging and interactive way, FaceMiner encourages a more critical examination of the role data plays in our lives.

Dataset Pricing & Hardware

The game’s economic model revolves around the interplay of data procurement expenses and infrastructure maintenance

.

• Datasets are priced, and this is a function of the data, purity, and processed values.
• Players must purchase the licenses, processing power, and hardware infrastructure that enable FaceMiner’s operation at a profit.

Data to be used for processing

There is not direct use of this data however here we have a list of places where they do use what data is collected.

• license-free photos
• data of Public figures
• and other datasets