Is the menu listening?
Originally shared by Daniel Suarez
Is the menu listening?
Back in 2013 when computer tablets started appearing on tables in chain restaurants here in the U.S., I was interested to see if these devices contained cameras and microphones. Indeed they did.
That's important because speech recognition algorithms could easily compile a word cloud of what was discussed at a table during a restaurant visit, and prosody algorithms could determine whether the speakers were happy or angry. The on-board camera could also feed facial recognition systems -- identifying individual diners. The fact that every commercial enterprise these days seems to also be involved to some degree in the data-gathering and data-resale business means there's more than one way for an establishment to earn money off your visit.
Now, one could argue this is being too suspicious. After all, employing a typical computer tablet as a menu device means it would by default already have a camera and microphone (as all iPads and Android tablets do). It doesn't mean those devices are being utilized. Likewise, the biggest point-of-sale tablet vendor in the U.S., Ziosk, says that their technology doesn't record guests without their permission. Nor can I find any evidence that they do.
So these devices may not be listening to us (for the moment). But if this is the case, Ziosk might want to choose a different slogan other than 'What happens at the table doesn't have to stay at the table.' :-)
https://www.ziosk.com/aurizonvideo/
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/11/18/call-kurtis-investigates-are-restaurant-tablets-spying-on-you/
Is the menu listening?
Back in 2013 when computer tablets started appearing on tables in chain restaurants here in the U.S., I was interested to see if these devices contained cameras and microphones. Indeed they did.
That's important because speech recognition algorithms could easily compile a word cloud of what was discussed at a table during a restaurant visit, and prosody algorithms could determine whether the speakers were happy or angry. The on-board camera could also feed facial recognition systems -- identifying individual diners. The fact that every commercial enterprise these days seems to also be involved to some degree in the data-gathering and data-resale business means there's more than one way for an establishment to earn money off your visit.
Now, one could argue this is being too suspicious. After all, employing a typical computer tablet as a menu device means it would by default already have a camera and microphone (as all iPads and Android tablets do). It doesn't mean those devices are being utilized. Likewise, the biggest point-of-sale tablet vendor in the U.S., Ziosk, says that their technology doesn't record guests without their permission. Nor can I find any evidence that they do.
So these devices may not be listening to us (for the moment). But if this is the case, Ziosk might want to choose a different slogan other than 'What happens at the table doesn't have to stay at the table.' :-)
https://www.ziosk.com/aurizonvideo/
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/11/18/call-kurtis-investigates-are-restaurant-tablets-spying-on-you/
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