Secure and Efficient UAV-Based Face Detection via Homomorphic Encryption and Edge Computing

This paper aims to propose a novel machine learning (ML) approach incorporating Homomorphic Encryption (HE) to address privacy limitations in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)-based face detection. Due to challenges related to distance, altitude, and face orientation, high-resolution imagery and sophisticated neural networks enable accurate face recognition in dynamic environments. However, privacy concerns arise from the extensive surveillance capabilities of UAVs. To resolve this issue, we propose a novel framework that integrates HE with advanced neural networks to secure facial data throughout the inference phase. This method ensures that facial data remains secure with minimal impact on detection accuracy. Specifically, the proposed system leverages the Cheon-Kim-Kim-Song (CKKS) scheme to perform computations directly on encrypted data, optimizing computational efficiency and security. Furthermore, we develop an effective data encoding method specifically designed to preprocess the raw facial data into CKKS form in a Single-Instruction-Multiple-Data (SIMD) manner. Building on this, we design a secure inference algorithm to compute on ciphertext without needing decryption. This approach not only protects data privacy during the processing of facial data but also enhances the efficiency of UAV-based face detection systems. Experimental results demonstrate that our method effectively balances privacy protection and detection performance, making it a viable solution for UAV-based secure face detection. Significantly, our approach (while maintaining data confidentially with HE encryption) can still achieve an accuracy of less than 1% compared to the benchmark without using encryption.