University vending machine error reveals use of secret facial recognition | A malfunctioning vending machine at a Canadian university has inadvertently revealed that a number of them have been usin…::Snack dispenser at University of Waterloo shows facial recognition message on screen despite no prior indication
Everyone seems concerned about what it could be doing, not what it is doing.
I could sit next to a vending machine and make notes on the gender and sex of each patron for demographic purposes, nothing would be illegal.
Why? Well, that’s easy, I want to stock my vending machine in order to make money. Instead of testing different layouts which would take a lot of time, I could predict how well certain stock would do based on preexisting market research.
This appears to be just that, but with a camera.
Now, you can argue “but it could be worse”! That’s not a valid argument. It could always be worse for things you don’t know about. If it holds up to be true, as stated, it’s just what it is.
If you’re sitting there taking notes it is obvious what you’re doing and the users of the machine can opt out of using it. With hidden cameras, not so much.
It’s a public space. You have no expectation of privacy. It’s the same reason license plate scanners are a thing.
It’s the automated equivalent of eyes.
I rather the company just restock their machine based on what sold and what didn’t instead of what percentage of people blink a certain amount of times while browsing the vending machine.
Not to mention the data they collect about you will be sold to other companies who will combine it with several other data points they collect about you to determine your personality and decide how much more money they can charge you on services or deny medical insurance based on your estimated health by your patterns. And while it might not end up affecting your life the data will still be around to affect the next generation
I mean, I don’t disagree. I’d rather that too! But you’re arguing if it’s good policy to do this or not, that’s a different argument vs. whether they legally and ethically can.
You don’t disagree, but you are spending a lot of breath and effort to indicate otherwise.
Yeah. I hate the idea of license plate scanners.
Not every country has those laws, and in a lot of them you have expectation of privacy in public!
Bad analogy. If you were doing what you said, but instead of taking notes, you were using a camera, you’d quickly get a visit from the UW Special Constable Service who’d probably transfer you to WRPS.
EDIT: Even if you were just taking notes on people, it’s possible you’d experience the same process.
I’m not familiar with Canadian law, but in the States, I can film someone without their permission in public. I can’t do certain things with that recording, but I can record them. In this case, I see it as just that. Recording, doing some instant analysis, recording non identifying metadata, and forgetting the recording.
That would make it gdpr compliant, at least.
People would be able to see you filming and maybe decide not to use that machine
Fed
Lol people get so worked up and don’t know shit. We’re all just apes with a god complex.