If you have read anything about Facedeals, the new facial recognition check-in app created by Nashville ad agency Redpepper, chances are you have seen the comparisons drawn between this app and the futuristic world depicted in the 2002 film Minority Report. And while some simply marvel at the prospect of fictional technology seemingly come to life, others use these comparisons to conjure up images of a world of reduced privacy, a world in which they would rather not live.
Just what is the purpose of this new app that has some of us fearing the beginnings of a dystopian society? Why, to get you a free drink, of course.
At least that is what is being depicted in this video, which is a promotional spot explaining just how Facedeals works.
In summary, Facedeals cameras with the capability of recognizing opted-in users are placed outside of certain businesses. Once a user is sufficiently recognized, Facedeals technology sends a customized deal to the user's mobile device based on their Facebook "Like" history, while simultaneously checking them in. Sounds easy, right?
According to Redpepper, who consider themselves both an ad agency and an invention lab, this sort of check-in technology is a great untapped resource, which, when used effectively, can benefit both patron and business owner alike. As Redpepper CEO Tim McMullen explained to me in an email:
This particular technology ensures that businesses will no longer wonder which offers will be effective. Patrons will no longer plan outings with a deal-a-day mindset, but can simply frequent their favorite places and count on being rewarded.
However, for privacy advocates, that drink you receive at the bar may cost you something more valuable than money. This was the sentiment conveyed by Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic and Privacy Information Center (EPIC), who expressed his concerns to CNN's Brian Todd in an interview: "People will find that their personal information will become quickly available to the stores they are visiting."
Not knowing just how much of this personal information will be made available is a cause for concern not only for privacy groups, but for many in the blogosphere as well. Given the widespread nature of this concern, I asked Tim McMullen what level of privacy one can expect, given that some data is indeed collected by retailers. His answer in email: "Our intention is that the level of information shared would be guided by consumer preferences and comfort level."
For those who are not exactly put at ease by this, Redpepper points out that Facedeals is exclusively an opt-in service. If something about Facedeals makes one uneasy, then by all means they should not utilize the service.
If early reactions in cyberspace are any indication, one could argue that Facedeals will find itself in an uphill climb from here on out. Still, I wonder if these initial privacy concerns will really curtail users from opting in with the hope of obtaining deals and freebies. As an Internet Evolution reader, I am all too familiar with the privacy concerns that surround some apps on Facebook, and even Facebook itself. However, that doesn't stop me (or some others I see 'round these parts) from making use of them.
Maybe Facedeals, with its similarities to the works of Phillip K. Dick, will be different. Somehow, though, I think we will be opting in regular as clockwork when we get the chance. And if that is the case, then I would be delighted to have you join me for a free drink sometime.
I do agree, kq4ym, that the inborn privacy need will keep apps apps at bay to a certain extent, but I it does seem to me that what people are willing to accept seems a bit different when we look at theory and practice. As it sits today in its current form, I don't see anything really stopping something like Facedeals from getting off the ground, as long as Facedeals is open about how much information is being collected and just how that information will be used.
I agree, Kicheko. I think that this kind of service has the potential to be very profitible for investors. It seems to me that our comfort level when it comes to giving up a bit of privacy in order to reap the benefits of certain apps is to a point where someting like facedeals could be used by people en masse without much more than a blink of an eye.
True that although nowadays its more likely that a stranger somewhere will have a folder of your pictures if they were interested ....what with FB and the others ..guess we all just have to pretend we're celebrities as long as nobody knows our locations.
Having someone know where you are is probably felt even more creepy than having a stranger look at your photograph. The inborn need for privacy will probably keep, at least for the time being, full disclosure apps in the background. Most don't want their picture given out to strangers and most don't want some stranger or company to know their locations.
I hope that day never comes to be when businesses shall compel people to use these kind of apps. For as long as it is optional though, it is possible that a people will from time to time let down their guard if they didn't find it particularly threatening. Enough to make it another social media goldmine for investors.
We can prognosticate a great deal about what lies in store for this sort of technology. While I see where your coming from in your comparison, I personally don't see Facedeals becoming anything that one would be compelled to use. People can be lenient with giving up a bit of privacy here or there, but it just seems to me that the idea of being compelled to have your face recognized would set off some deafening alarm bells.
I can't help but think about the loyalty cards I use at the grocery stores. I don't like using them, but if I don't, I end up paying a higher price for my groceries. I bring this up since I believe once companies discover the value in these type of services, they are going to compel you to use the service whether you like it or not, and they will make the penalties for not opting in as painful as they can. It is all well and nice to say it is OK since it is opted-in, but if the penalties for not opting in are noxious enough, there really isn't a choice.
It may be that the concerns at this point must necessarily be vague, since we don't know all that much about the product yet. It seems to me that privacy advocates simply don't like the idea of information being collected without knowing exactly how/if it will be used.
And no worries, I didn't take any of your initial comment as barking in my direction. Even if I did, it would be very difficult for me to stay mad at a fellow Eddie Izzard fan.
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