Vending

University of Waterloo to remove facial recognition vending machines following student complaints

March 1, 2024

The University of Waterloo is removing several smart vending machines manufactured by Invenda Group for using facial recognition technology. Students first became concerned when one of the machines displayed an error code from facial recognition software, according to a report by Money Control.

A Reddit user first shared images of the code on an M&M vending machine. The machines are owned by Mars, the parent company of M&Ms. The university plans to remove the machines in response to concerns regarding the technology.