Vending Machine Error Reveals Secret Face Image Database of College Students

Ashley Belanger reports via Ars Technica: Canada-based University of Waterloo is racing to remove M&M-branded smart vending machines from campus after outraged students discovered the machines were covertly collecting facial-recognition data without their consent. The scandal started when a student using the alias SquidKid47 posted an image on Reddit showing a campus vending machine error message, 'Invenda.Vending.FacialRecognitionApp.exe,' displayed after the machine failed to launch a facial recognition application that nobody expected to be part of the process of using a vending machine. 'Hey, so why do the stupid M&M machines have facial recognition?' SquidKid47 pondered. The Reddit post sparked an investigation from a fourth-year student named River Stanley, who was writing for a university publication called MathNEWS.

MathNEWS' investigation tracked down responses from companies responsible for smart vending machines on the University of Waterloo's campus. Adaria Vending Services told MathNEWS that '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. 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.' According to Adaria and Invenda, students shouldn't worry about data privacy because the vending machines are 'fully compliant' with the world's toughest data privacy law, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 'These machines are fully GDPR compliant and are in use in many facilities across North America,' Adaria's statement said. 'At the University of Waterloo, Adaria manages last mile fulfillment services -- we handle restocking and logistics for the snack vending machines. Adaria does not collect any data about its users and does not have any access to identify users of these M&M vending machines.'

But University of Waterloo students like Stanley now question Invenda's 'commitment to transparency' in North American markets, especially since the company is seemingly openly violating Canadian privacy law, Stanley told CTV News. On Reddit, while some students joked that SquidKid47's face 'crashed' the machine, others asked if 'any pre-law students wanna start up a class-action lawsuit?' One commenter summed up students' frustration by typing in all caps, 'I HATE THESE MACHINES! I HATE THESE MACHINES! I HATE THESE MACHINES!'

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