Billboards in some Japanese malls are being equipped with biometric scanners.
In malls throughout Japan, billboards are being installed that use biometrics to determine what demographic a viewer fits within, and show an appropriate advertisement.
The first thing the billboard determines on a passerby is gender. Currently, the biometric scanners are capable of determining whether one is male or female with 85 to 90 percent accuracy, the Guardian reports.
The advertising machines are also capable of determining the approximate age and ethnicity of shoppers.
While current billboards are restricted to biometric data, the software does have the potential to expand its reach. Because certain facial features to not change with age or even surgery, scanners can fairly accurately identify individuals and advertise to their specific preferences.
In Japan, the technology is being well received because citizens are used to programs of this nature. As the billboard company's officials begin to move the tool abroad, some experts believe it will be met with resistance.
Marc Rotenberg, the director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told the news source, "we [consumers] don't expect the billboard to look back at us, but that is exactly what is happening now. Companies are increasingly impatient to get to us, and once these practices are commonplace it will be hard to reverse them."
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