Snack machine face scanner exposed

Under-the-radar tech prompts school to remove dozens of vending machines

By Forrest J.H.

The M&M machines are watching you.

After a student newspaper ran with that headline, Canada’s University of Waterloo removed dozens of high-tech snack dispensers after one of them displayed an error message on its screen reading, “Invenda.Vending.FacialRecognitionApp.exe.”

It all started when a student posted a picture of the error message on Reddit, then a student journalist at the university’s strange and enterprising newspaper mathNEWS took on the case. The Canadian outlet CTV News attributed the investigative work to a student named River Stanley, while mathNEWS itself credited someone named “firstie.”

Either Stanley, firstie, or both found the machines were made by Swiss company Invenda Group, which appears to specialize in so-called “intelligent” vending machines. By “intelligent,” they mean the machines can collect troves of data about whoever is standing in front of it and what they choose to buy.

According to Invenda’s product catalogue, the vending machine can track foot traffic around it, selectively market to shoppers, determine “gender/age/etc.” The product catalogue claims the company can use this information to LITERALLY MAKE INFINITE MONEY.

Invenda’s product catalog claiming the machine can generate infinite revenue

When mathNEWS asked of the machines’ capabilities, Invenda contradicted the company that operates the machines, Adaria Vending Services. Adaria claimed the machines could not take images or determine demographic information. Invenda said they could.

The university is working to remove all 29 machines, according to mathNEWS’s follow-up. Also, a reader contacted the newspaper to let them know the machines were not just in public spaces, but also in spaces only available for students’ private access.

In its most recent issue, mathNEWS claimed the win for transparency, but reminded readers the school’s action only addressed a small part of the threat posed by invasive surveillance devices hidden in the technologies they use. The publication encouraged readers to contact Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner to demand any collected data be deleted.

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This article’s ingredients

The M&M’s machines are watching you

mathNEWS

February 16, 2024

https://mathnews.uwaterloo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/mathNEWS-154-3.pdf#page=6

hey so why do the stupid m&m machines have facial recognition

February 10, 2024

By user SquidKid47

Reddit.com/r/uwaterloo

https://www.reddit.com/r/uwaterloo/comments/1anvv0q/hey_so_why_do_the_stupid_mm_machines_have_facial/

'Facial recognition' error message on vending machine sparks concern at University of Waterloo