Vending machine error reveals secret facial recognition technology

Canada-based University of Waterloo is rushing to remove its M&M-branded smart vending machines from campus after outraged students discovered that they were secretly collecting facial recognition data without their consent.

The scandal began when a student, using the alias SquidKid47, posted an image on Reddit showing the error message Invenda.Vending.FacialRecognitionApp.exe from a vending machine on campus. The process of using a vending machine.

“Hey, so why does that stupid M&M machine have facial recognition?” thought SquidKid47.

The Reddit post sparked an investigation by River Stanley, a fourth-year student who was writing for a university publication called MathNEWS.

Mr Stanley sounded the alarm after reviewing an Invenda sales brochure that promised the machine could transmit the estimated age and gender of anyone who used it without asking for consent.

Frustrated by this, Stanley said years ago that the Privacy Commissioner of Canada found that some mall information kiosks were secretly using facial recognition software on unsuspecting customers. After discovering this, I learned that they were investigating a shopping mall operator called Cadillac Fairview.

Stanley reports that thanks to this official investigation, Canadians now know that more than five million Canadians who did not consent have been scanned into Cadillac Fairview's database. Although Cadillac Fairview was ultimately forced to delete its entire database, Stanley said he is concerned about the consequences if Invenda customers like Mars collect similarly sensitive facial recognition data without their consent. He writes that it remains unclear.

Stanley's report ended with a call for students to demand that universities remove facial recognition vending machines from campus.

University of Waterloo spokeswoman Rebecca Elming eventually responded, confirming to CTV News that the school had asked for the vending machine's software to be disabled until the machine was removed.

Students told CTV News that the controversy has shaken their trust in the university's administration. Some students claimed on Reddit that they tried to hide the vending machine's camera using gum and post-it notes while waiting for a response from the school. One student wondered if there were other places on campus where this technology could be used.

Elming could not confirm an exact schedule for when the machines would be removed, only telling Ars that they would be removed as soon as possible. Elming declined Ars' request to reveal whether there are other areas of campus where facial recognition data is being collected. She also told those who enjoy snacks on campus when students would expect vending machines to be replaced with snack dispensers that do not have surveillance cameras. I didn't.

Invenda claims machines are GDPR compliant

The MathNEWS survey tracked responses from companies responsible for smart vending machines on the University of Waterloo campus.

Adaria Vending Services told MathNEWS that the most important thing to understand is that this machine does not take or store photos or images, and the machine's technology cannot be used to identify individuals. He said that this is true. The technology works as a motion sensor that detects faces, so the machine knows when to activate the purchase interface without taking or storing an image of the customer.

According to Adaria and Invenda, students do not need to worry about data privacy as the vending machines are fully compliant with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the world's most stringent data privacy law.

Adaria said in a statement that these machines are fully GDPR compliant and are used in many facilities across North America. At the University of Waterloo, Adaria manages last-mile fulfillment services and is responsible for snack vending machine replenishment and logistics. Adaria does not collect data about users and does not have access to identify the users of these His M&M vending machines.

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