Waterloo, Canada — The University of Waterloo in Canada is facing a scandal involving M&M-branded smart vending machines on campus that were discovered to be collecting face recognition data without the knowledge or consent of students. The issue came to light after a student named SquidKid47 posted on Reddit a photo of an error message on the vending machine related to a facial recognition application, sparking outrage among the student body.
Upon further investigation by River Stanley, a fourth-year student writing for the university publication MathNEWS, it was revealed that the machines were capable of capturing and sending data on estimated ages and genders of users without obtaining consent. This raised concerns among students, especially in light of past incidents where similar technology was used without consent on unsuspecting individuals in public spaces.
Stanley called on students to demand the removal of the facial recognition vending machines from campus, leading to a response from the university spokesperson, Rebecca Elming. Elming confirmed that the school had taken steps to disable the software on the machines and was working to have them removed from campus promptly.
Students expressed their disappointment with the university’s administration, with some resorting to covering the vending machine cameras while awaiting a resolution. Questions were raised about the broader use of such technology on campus, prompting concerns about privacy and surveillance.
In response to the investigation, companies responsible for the vending machines, such as Adaria Vending Services and Invenda, claimed that the technology was GDPR-compliant and posed no threat to individual privacy. They reassured students that the machines did not collect or store images of customers, instead using motion sensors to activate the purchasing interface.
Despite these assurances, uncertainty remains about the timeline for removing the machines and whether alternative vending options without surveillance capabilities would be provided to students. The controversy surrounding the covert collection of face recognition data on campus has raised important questions about privacy rights and the ethical use of technology in academic settings.