Vending machines that used face detection technology to track information about users on the University of Waterloo campus breached privacy rights.

In February 2024, the university removed 29 vending machines that were tracking the age and gender of customers without their knowledge or consent. The move came after opposition from University of Waterloo students, who became aware of the technology after a Reddit user spotted an on-screen error message on one of the machines, which indicated an apparent problem with its facial recognition program.

Invenda, the Switzerland-based manufacturer of the vending machines, told CBC at the time the machines use facial analysis, not facial recognition, software, and that it isn’t storing data or photos. The company says its technology is mainly used to tell when a person is standing in front of a vending machine, and to change the screen from “standby” mode, which shows ads, to “sales” mode, which shows different products.