A photo shared on Reddit showed one of the vending machines with an error code suggesting it used facial-recognition tech.
  • The University of Waterloo is expected to remove smart vending machines from its campus.
  • A student discovered an error code that suggested the machines used facial-recognition technology.
  • Vending Services said the technology didn’t take or store customers’ photos.
  • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
    3·
    7 months ago

    Accounts tied to school ID card? That way you can’t steal someone’s and use theirs, just polls a database and correlates your picture to your id image or something.

    About the only use case I can think of for a school.

    • otacon239@feddit.de
      3·
      7 months ago

      This definitely couldn’t backfire. Can’t think of a single reason in recent memory why someone’s face wouldn’t be visible… 🤔

    • betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      7 months ago

      At least in the case covered by the article, they don’t appear to be doing that:

      … the director of technology services for Adaria Vending Services[1] told MathNews that “an individual person cannot be identified using the technology in the machines.”

      Still possible if they’re being less-than-perfectly-honest in that statement, they invest more into the technology or with another machine/company somewhere else.

      1

      … the smart vending machines… [are] provided by Adaria Vending Services and manufactured by Invenda Group.

      • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
        2·
        7 months ago

        Oh definitely isn’t, just an example of how it can be used. I’ve seen it used in plants to administer safety gear so people don’t use a dozen gloves a week, even though it’s free and provided.