Tesco To Use Face Detection Technology For In-Store Advertising

TinTops writes "Tesco has sparked privacy concerns following its decision to install technology that scans shoppers' faces in order to display video advertising on screens at its petrol stations. The UK's privacy watchdog the ICO is looking into the technology. This is the first national rollout of the system, known as OptimEyes, which claims to recognize facial characteristics that determine a customer's gender and age in order to show more relevant video adverts on screens as they queue at the till. Simon Sugar, chief executive of Amscreen, the firm which sells the technology, has admitted it has connotations of science fiction, but is looking to increase its reach further. 'Yes, it's like something out of Minority Report, but this could change the face of British retail and our plans are to expand the screens into as many supermarkets as possible,' he said."

Re:Ski-mask, now also for shopping!

[davebarnes]

Get out your Richard Nixon mask. It is the one most preferred by bank robbers.

Re:Ski-mask, now also for shopping!

[CastrTroy]

Something comes to mind about Tesco not allowing hoodies, even if you bought it there [shropshirestar.com]. I'm pretty sure ski masks would be out of the question.

Shell gas stations, usa, ca. 2008

[TigerPlish]

A Shell station I used to go to at another job had brand new pumps installed in 2008. These "new" and "improved" pumps would start playing ads the second you took the nozzle off the cradle and started pumping.

Result? I haven't been to that station in 7 years. To hell with intrusive adverts to a captive audience.

Boycott the store, people. Don't buy there. There is no greater "fuck you" to a merchant than an empty till and a competitor's store full of what used to be your own customers.

Re:sensationalism

[0123456]

This is a "slippery slope argument" and therefore invalid.

Oh look, it's the 'slippery slope is a logical fallacy so it could never ever possibly even thinkg of actually happening' brigade, right on cue.

Hint, dude: the time to stop sliding down a slippery slope is before you first slip, not when you're racing toward the bottom.