Tesco Face Scanners To Target Till Adverts : Outrageous

[DulwichFox]

This is Outrageous

Tesco is set to install hi-tech screens that scan customers' faces in petrol stations so that advertisements can be better targeted at them.

The retailer will introduce the OptimEyes screen, developed by Lord Sugar's Amscreen, to all 450 of its UK petrol stations, in a five-year deal, according to The Grocer magazine.

The screen, positioned at the till, scans the eyes of customers to determine age and gender, and then runs tailored advertisements.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/tesco-face-scanners-target-till-adverts-094911297--finance.html#frOQQLx

DulwichFox

[Loz]

I'm big on civil liberties, but I can't see a big problem with this... yet.

As you say, it does not identify you - it just tries to guess your age and gender. Frankly, that's not much more intrusive as someone standing on a corner deciding if they want to give you a flyer for the local nightclub's ladies night.

But, I put '...yet' because, although face recognition is not up to the task at the moment, it will almost certainly be able to in the next few year. If we get to the point where they are doing this on an individual basis, then we will have a civil liberties issue.

[alice]

Simple get out the balaclava

[StraferJack]

it's all a bit sledgehammer to crack a nut tho isn't it?

I'm sure they will have crunched some numbers but if it's as straightforward as they are presenting it, I'm not sure I'd agree with whatever figure is in the "projected income" column

[DulwichFox]

Basically with face recognition tied to Credit Card / Club Card Details it will be easy to put a name

to the face.

Plus Number Plate Recognition used in some Supermarket Car parks to record time entering and leaving

the site so automatic parking tickets can be sent out.

Think it may well be a security issue more than the said reasoning.

Why not just 'Tag' the entire population. We are almost there already.

TAG. Don't leave home without one. :(

Foxy

[Loz]

I dunno. Like my flyer example, they want to get value for their advertising budget. If you pass a TV screen with 20 rolling sdverts on it and you get to see one of them, that mean each advertiser gets exposure to an average of 5% of footfall. How much more would you pay for that 5% to be much more likely to be in your target demographic?

It's the same reasoning that supermarkets spend a LOT of money crunching big data from loyalty cards. Or Google get so much money flogging Adwords.

Having said that, when I last worked with face recognition a few years ago, this stuff was flaky to say the least.

[El Pibe]

It's all a lot less intrusive than all those amazon adverts that use your cookies to bombard you with related search type stuff.

Most notiecable whenever La Piba has been buying nail clippers or the like.

[Loz]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Basically with face recognition tied to Credit

> Card / Club Card Details it will be easy to put a name to the face.

If you have their card details, you really don't need face recognition at that point, do you?

Basically, there are two type of face recognition system (actually, any biometric system) - verification (1:1 or if this who they say they are?) and identification (1:n or who is this?). The first is used in place like passport gates at airports and face recognition is pretty good at this.

The second, identification, is much harder for face recognition systems, especially in public areas. It's OK for a small sample, i.e. a workplace, but as soon as the sample rises, it struggles, mainly because of varying angles, lighting, headgear, etc. Fingerprint and iris are much, much better at this.

[silverfox]

What I don't understand is do I put my shopping on the conveyor belt first and then jump up on the conveyor so the person on the till can scan my face or Vice versa?

At least I can ensure my good side is scanned if I do it myself on the self-service till.

[unlurked]

Burkha and shades

[maxxi]

I think it's all rather helpful. If you are confronted by ads for pile cream and walk-in baths you at least know you must look like shit.

[miga]

.

[Loz]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Plus Number Plate Recognition used in some Supermarket Car parks to record time entering and

> leaving the site so automatic parking tickets can be sent out.

In Vietnam, where just about everyone has a low powered motorbike or scooter (few ride a pushbike any more), the supermarkets have gated parking areas. You collect a ticket on the way in and it scans your number plate. Then, on the way out it checks your ticket against your plate to make sure you aren't nabbing someone else's nicer machine.

Of course, you could change the number plates, but that might be noticed by the attendants.