Undercover was created in response to the proliferation of surveillance cameras worldwide. It is a conceptual AR game design that aims to raise awareness of mass surveillance through collective contribution. Facial recognition is widely applied to machines for security checks and flow control. As facial characteristics are often taken as recognition marks, what Undercover proposes is that people mark the cameras’ position, type, sight, etc. By actively seeking out the cameras and subsequently hiding from them, people will be able to see how constantly they are being watched and will be empowered to be more vigilant about their data privacy. The play is embedded in the AR map navigation experience, where the player can locate and hide from cameras with the help of Yo, Marsh, and Cooper.

Even though the publicly stated intent of installing CCTV systems across cities is to improve public security, the omnipresence of cameras in major cities is, in reality, excessive. People are gradually becoming used to being watched by digital eyes, forgetting about their rights, including protecting their personal biometric information.

The reality is that we are watched by cameras everywhere we go and have gotten used to it, perhaps forgetting about our privacy rights. This game turns it around using the facial recognition system that cameras use; the player identifies the cameras and hides from them. This will educate players on how heavily they are being watched and encourage them to be vigilant about their data privacy.