Industramark Blog

Big Brother is Watching You

July 26, 2010

By Gary Dankworth, senior manager, Information Technology

I don’t get to watch a lot of television, but I often hear friends and colleagues talking about reality shows, where camera crews follow people around and record everything they say and do with the intent of showing it on live television for everyone else to view. I don’t pretend to understand the “reality show mentality,” but what I do know is that it seems like we’ve become a society fixated on being able to delve into the lives of complete strangers and watch their every moves.

But you don’t have to be in a reality show to be a part of this experience. It seems like everywhere you go today, you’re confronted with a camera. Whether it’s for security purposes or to ensure we’re obeying traffic laws, we just can’t seem to get away from them.

There are many who complain about the cameras, but for the most part, we’ve seemed to become accustomed to having them around. But this thinking has started to change a little over the past year, especially with new strides being made in the advertising space. The force behind the shift in public opinion is being driven by the changes made in the facial recognition technology that is becoming more popular throughout the U.S. and other countries.

If you’ve been to an airport or shopping mall lately, you’ve probably noticed the digital signs that are often placed in the middle of the aisle. Typically, these signs flash various advertisements for stores or businesses that have paid for advertising spots. What most don’t realize, though, is that facial recognition software has been added to many of these displays to capture features about those who are watching the ads. Initially, the technology was used to determine which ads were viewed and for how long. However, recent developments have enabled companies to capture much more than just viewing metrics.

Today, facial recognition software captures the facial image of the individual that looks at the ad which is then stored and used for future reference. The stated goal of this new technology is to enable companies to display specific advertising to people based off their facial features which enable them to display age-appropriate or gender-appropriate ads. The overall goal seems to be to bring about the society that was made popular with the movie “Minority Report.”

But many fear that this may be going too far and actually is an invasion of privacy, especially since the user is not a voluntary participant who has given the company approval to capture and retain their facial features for future reference. There’s also fear that the information being collected could eventually be sold or given out to other companies without their knowledge.

There will be some interesting legal battles that will undoubtedly come about over the next few years as more and more information becomes public on what the facial recognition technology will and won’t do. Suffice to say, this technology will be around for the long haul.

What are your thoughts on the use of this technology? Any way you look at it, remember that the next time you watch an ad on a billboard or kiosk, smile big, because they might just be watching you back.

Filed under: Industry Insight

Tags: advertising, facial recognition, Industramark, marketing, Minority Report, reality television, reality tv, technology