Privacy for Peanuts: The Cost of Convenience at UWaterloo

Last week I visited the University of Waterloo to investigate a gross breach of privacy in the name of selling candy bars. Here’s what happened…

UWaterloo recently made headlines for its decision to remove 29 vending machines from campus due to concerns over facial recognition technology.

These “smart†vending machines, manufactured by Invenda Group, and operated by Adaria, came under scrutiny when students raised privacy concerns after one of the machines displayed an error message related to facial recognition software.

The incident was first brought to public attention by a Reddit user who posted images of the error code, sparking a debate over privacy and surveillance on campus.

To be clear, these vending machines are collecting demographic data to make predictions about what items to upsell to people. It is likely not a sinister plot motivated by anything other than making an extra buck.

As a consumer, I don’t have an issue with the upsell component but if Invenda/Adaria wants to use my data then I want the product for free or at least at a steep discount.

My main issue is with the fact that Adaria did not notify the university or students that facial recognition data was being used and then shrugged it off when the concern was brought to light.

This attitude does not give, ‘responsible steward of sensitive information.’ These people sell candy bars for a living, trust me, it’s not rocket science.

As a vending operator, I’m disappointed with Adaria as this incident sheds a negative light on the industry. I don’t see how the University can keep them on as a service provider.

But, stranger things have happened…

To top it all off, when I spoke to UWaterloo students about the issue, many of them were not even aware of the breach. This begs the following questions:

How many companies are collecting our data without our knowledge?

Should Adaria lose its contract with the university?

How much is our data worth? Is it worth a chocolate bar, a can of Coke, or much more?

I’d love to hear your opinions on these questions in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Kayin Pepper

Vendture Foods, Founder & CEO