Face scanning technology at Tesco may change British retail

Like something out of the movie Minority Report, the large British retail chain Tesco is installing screens near the cash registers of their gas stations that scan customers faces to discover who they are, then serve advertisements tailored to them. Called the OptimEyes screen, the system will be installed in all 450 of the brands stations. While the system does not yet identify each customer by name, it is capable of determining their age and gender and other analytics. Tesco has been a leader when it comes to futuristic technology and was one of the first companies to create virtual shopping centers in places like subway stations (see previous WikiTrend stories). But is this going a bit far. Some customer feedback has been negative, with customers feeling that their privacy has been invaded. And the roll-out comes at a particularly sensitive time for privacy advocates. Will this type of technology become pervasive? Watch this space.