Canada University To Remove Vending Machines Over Facial Recognition Tech

 In a statement, the University of Waterloo promised to get rid of the Invenda devices "as soon as possible". Additionally, it stated that it had "asked that the software be disabled" already.

A Canadian university is planning to remove some smart vending machines from its campus due to privacy concerns around the covert use of face recognition technology. The uproar started, according to The Guardian, when a student took a picture of the food dispenser with the error message Invenda.Vending.FacialRecognition.App.exe. Neither the technology's use by the machine nor the presence of a camera tracking student movements and purchases were disclosed beforehand. Additionally, users weren't prompted for permission to scan or analyze their faces.

 If it weren't for the application error, we would not have known. According to the outlet, River Stanley, a student at the University of Waterloo who covered the finding for the school newspaper, stated, "There's no warning here."

The manufacturer of the devices, Invenda, defended the technique nevertheless. It stated that the technology complies with privacy regulations set down by the European Union. Notably, the business boasts of using "demographic detection software" to ascertain the age and gender of its clientele. It's uncertain if technology use complies with Canadian privacy laws.

Adaria Vending Services' director of technical services defended the technique in a different context, stating that "an individual person cannot be identified using the technology in the machines".

"What's most important to understand is that the machines do not take or store any photos or images, and an individual person cannot be identified using the technology in the machines," added the statement. "The technology acts as a motion sensor that detects faces, so the machine knows when to activate the purchasing interface - never taking or storing images of customers," it stated.

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In contrast, a statement from the University of Waterloo promised to remove the Invenda devices "as soon as possible". Additionally, it stated that it had "asked that the software be disabled" already.

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Students at the institution in Ontario replied in the interim by using gum and paper to hide the hole they thought contained the camera.

In a related incident that occurred in April, Canadian Tire, a major store, violated British Columbia's privacy rules by using face recognition software without informing the consumers. The government's privacy commissioner at the time stated that the business was unable to provide a legitimate basis for gathering facial recognition data, even in cases where the retailers had authorization.

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