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.

Adaria Vending Services said the technology didn't take or store
customers' photos.

A university in Canada is expected to remove a series of vending machines
from campus after a student discovered an indication they used facial-
recognition technology.

The smart vending machines at the University of Waterloo first gained
attention this month when the Reddit user SquidKid47 shared a photo. The
photo purportedly showed an M&M-brand vending machine with an error code
reading, "Invenda.Vending. FacialRecognition.App.exe � Application error."

The post drew speculation from some users and caught the attention of a
University of Waterloo student whom the tech-news website Ars Technica
identified as River Stanley, a writer for the local student publication
MathNews. Stanley investigated the smart vending machines, discovering
that they're provided by Adaria Vending Services and manufactured by
Invenda Group. The Canadian publication CTV News reported that Mars, the
owner of M&M's, owned the vending machines.

In response to the student publication's report, the director of
technology services for Adaria Vending Services told MathNews 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," the statement said. "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."

The statement said that the machines are "fully GDPR compliant," referring
to the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. The regulation
is part of the EU's privacy legislation that determines how corporations
can collect citizens' data.

"At the University of Waterloo, Adaria manages last mile fulfillment
services � we handle restocking and logistics for the snack vending
machines," the statement said. "Adaria does not collect any data about its
users and does not have any access to identify users of these M&M vending
machines."

Invenda Group told MathNews that the technology did not store information
on "permanent memory mediums" and that the machines were GDPR compliant.

"It does not engage in storage, communication, or transmission of any
imagery or personally identifiable information," Invenda Group's statement
said. "The software conducts local processing of digital image maps
derived from the USB optical sensor in real-time, without storing such
data on permanent memory mediums or transmitting it over the Internet to
the Cloud."

MathNews reported that Invenda Group's FAQ list said that "only the final
data, namely presence of a person, estimated age and estimated gender, is
collected without any association with an individual."

The University of Waterloo told CTV News that the school intended to
remove the machines from campus.

"The university has asked that these machines be removed from campus as
soon as possible. In the meantime, we've asked that the software be
disabled," Rebecca Elming, a representative for the University of
Waterloo, told the outlet.

Representatives for the University of Waterloo, Invenda Group, Adaria
Vending Services, and Mars did not respond to Business Insider's requests
for comment, sent over the weekend ahead of publication.

Facial-recognition technology on college campuses has caused tension for
students and staff members, with examples popping up globally. In May
2018, a school in China began monitoring students in classrooms with
facial-recognition technology that scanned every 30 seconds. Two years
later, a woman on TikTok claimed she failed a test after a test-proctoring
artificial-intelligence system accused her of cheating.

Tensions heightened in March 2020 when students at dozens of US
universities protested facial recognition on college campuses, The
Guardian reported.

"Education should be a safe place, but this technology hurts the most
vulnerable people in society," a student at DePaul University told the
outlet.

https://www.businessinsider.com/vending-machines-facial-recognition-
technology-2024-2