Face-Recognition Billboard Displays Ads To Women, Not Men, For Plan UK Campaign In London (VIDEO, POLL)

An interactive billboard at a London bus stop can scan your face and determine if you're a man or a woman by using facial recognition technology. The display then plays one of two messages based on that information.

Plan UK, a global children's charity, is using the billboard to raise awareness about the choices unavailable to women around the world in their "Because I'm a girl" campaign.

Women are shown a short video advertisement depicting girls who've been stripped of the privilege to make choices about their careers, educations or spouses.

Men, on the other hand, are only shown statistics regarding the issue. Naomi Williams, a Plan UK campaign manager, says the full advertisement is not available to men so they can get "a glimpse of what it's like to have [their] basic choices taken away."

The set-up cost nearly $47,000 and boasts a 90 percent accuracy rate in determining whether passersby are male or female, Time reports. The organization hopes to raise about $400,000 in donations with the two-week campaign.

A writer for The Independent describes how the billboard works:

The technology, the first of its kind, works by scanning faces before measuring the distance between the viewer's eyes, width of the nose, length of jaw line and shape of cheekbone to compare the data and estimate their gender.

Despite the display's margin of error, TechCrunch points out that the technology could eventually lead to ultra-targeted advertising:

What if you load up a hundred videos of people in different outfits, and then match that to whatever the person viewing the ad is wearing? "Nice red blazer. But we like this one better. Only $25 at H&M."

But facial recognition technology will soon be in use in some shopping malls across the country, CBS Boston reports. Displays will also be able to tell a customer's age and race and target advertisements based on that information.

One day, the displays will be able to track customers' spending habits, but for now, the technology is being tested in stores, banks, and even bars.

Places that serve alcohol could use the technology to determine how old a customers are before letting them into the establishment, WKMG reports. Bars in Orlando, Fla., and Miami could start using the technology as early as this year.

Plan UK has reportedly received complaints that its billboard is exclusionary. The organization has posted the following statement on their YouTube account:

It wasn't our aim to offend - we apologize that the advert did. We are simply showing what it feels like to have basic choices taken away - like millions of girls around the world. We don't favour girls over boys - for over 70 years we've worked with both sexes in the developing world and our experience - and the facts - show us that millions are still disadvantaged due to their gender. Our aim is equal opportunities and access to education for both sexes in the developing world.

Via Time News Feed

Quick Poll

What do you think of using face-recognition technology for targeted advertisements?

Cool. This way I'll only need to see what interests me.

Creepy. It's an invasion of privacy.

Undecided.

VOTE

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[Daniel De Boulet]

06:42 PM on 02/27/2012

That's creepy, but I don't see why it didn't show the ad to men.

[SociallyAware]

01:02 PM on 02/27/2012

Alas there is an army of feminists out there telling us how mens lives are way better than theirs.

It would be nice to hear people say "stop violence" vs "stop violence against women" because statistically men are way more likely to be killed 3 to 1 actually (a close friend of mine was murdered last year) or assaulted and just as likely to be assaulted in domestic violence (but seldom reported...my gentle buddy has the 16 stitches to show for it)...and I am pretty sure we don't like much either!!! And no its not like we are all asking for it.

Men have less access to post secondary education. Of the 160,000 Canadian university grads last year. 60,000 men, 100,000 women. Where is the campaign for men in education like so many campaigns for woman's rights?

Men aged 18-24 are more likely to die in a work place accident than all ages/genders combined. Where is the campaign to save these lives?

It's all available in stats Canada if people would bother to read it.

[Tiresias99]

10:22 PM on 02/27/2012

You're talking about Canada.

These people are talking about Somalia, Iran, Pakistan, Cambodia.

You are completely out of touch with the point that is being discussed here.

[SociallyAware]

10:51 PM on 02/27/2012

Actually it's about billboards in London that some view as sexist and about choices unavailable to women around the world...I am pretty sure Canada is in the world...I raised the point that there are "opportunities" for men to have less education and die faster in Canada.

You go girl!

[MissTake1989]

05:42 AM on 02/28/2012

Feminism, I'm told, is the name given to the movement that works towards "equality for all"...in spite of bearing the type of gender-specific namesake that, ironically, feminism has fought...

So, don't worry, I'm sure "feminism" will be working very hard towards rectifying those gender imbalances....any day now...

Ironically, for a movement about the equality for all...there are ALMOST NO men in leadership positions...far less than the 17% of women in Congress.

Hmmm...

[ZimbaZumba]

07:07 AM on 02/28/2012

"Ironically, for a movement about the equality for all...there are ALMOST NO men in leadership positions...far less than the 17% of women in Congress."

Good point.

[piceaglauca]

09:32 AM on 02/27/2012

Great way to source out a date.

[J Owen Williams]

02:42 AM on 02/27/2012

This will be perfect to determine what Justin Bieber is.

[flatbedford]

11:52 PM on 02/26/2012

can it identify stupid people?

[Montezuma336]

10:09 PM on 02/26/2012

Minority Report anyone ?

[kvkop]

09:37 PM on 02/26/2012

I would love to know how this technology works (if it really does). I mean, what if a guy in drag comes up to it. Does it know what gender he is????

[MATTHEWSALUH]

09:57 PM on 02/26/2012

It boasts 90% accuracy, which isn't that good actually. Imagine the rate just using height or evidence of facia hair/hair length. I'm guessing that would be at 80% or better already. Not too impressed.

[eclub]

11:05 PM on 02/26/2012

If you want to know how it works, you can visit http://www.Dictate.co

[maninaustin]

11:43 PM on 02/26/2012

Ninety percent? I'm impressed. Given that 10% of men and boys look like old lesbians, seems like it's working like a charm.

http://menwholooklikeoldlesbians.blogspot.com/

[Anybodyseenthepopos]

08:51 PM on 02/26/2012

The technology is creepy, and the advert is unhelpful at best.

[Jt John]

08:17 PM on 02/26/2012

Next step, face-recognition to determine who you are. Based from all sources: license, passport, SS, Facebook, etc. Facial structure recognition.

[piceaglauca]

09:34 AM on 02/27/2012

Bio metrics?

[Assumed Name]

07:46 PM on 02/26/2012

I love the information the interactive board is dissiminating, but I'm unclear as to why it needs to recognize whether the viewer is male or female.

[mchcallow]

08:46 PM on 02/26/2012

Their stated goal "Men, on the other hand, are only shown statistics regarding the issue. Naomi Williams, a Plan UK campaign manager, says the full advertisement is not available to men so they can get "a glimpse of what it's like to have [their] basic choices taken away."

I wonder if the difference has an impact donations...

[Assumed Name]

09:11 PM on 02/26/2012

Well...yes, I heard that part, but okay...I guess. Hmm...I think it would be more powerful to give everyone the full message, part of which could be a comparison/contrast of states (e.g., food distribution, etc.)

[edabeda6]

07:39 PM on 02/26/2012

This ad is not sexist at all. Its' about time women had their come-uppins. Men, you should support this if you are a gentleman. Women all over the world are still looked at as ovarian vessels for procreation and valued not much more than that. Its a slow gradual process, being politically correct isn't always possible. When women feel equal, men will reap the rewards too ;)

[Jay Goldammer]

08:59 PM on 02/26/2012

Equality should mean that women are treated equally well. Not that men are treated equally poorly.

[MissTake1989]

05:44 AM on 02/28/2012

Don't you understand....the men of today MUST pay for the sins of the men in the past...

The women of today must be rewarded for the injustice of the women in the past...

Duh.

[GaryNOVA]

07:39 PM on 02/26/2012

This is very cool and all. I love technological advances. But I feel sorry for some women who might not get recognized as having the facial features of a female.

They of course have the right to do it, but should they? have they considered the people it might offend and their family members?

[Tikvah Bethany Adler]

07:05 PM on 02/26/2012

whatever. i'll be impressed when it can detect what gender you identify as, not just what sex organs you were born with

[Jim chaos]

07:46 PM on 02/26/2012

Good point. The screen seems a bit lengthy for face only recognition. A stealth airport backscatter scan ?

[ameriki00]

07:02 PM on 02/26/2012

Oh, please please please SNL. Send Pat to the UK to cover this story.

[msdebello]

04:39 AM on 03/24/2012

Pat is no more.

[ZimbaZumba]

07:01 PM on 02/26/2012

This Ad is revoltingly sexist and it will alienate a lot of people. How will the homeless black guy think when he is denied access only to see a rich white woman being allowed to see the video. Some things are just intrinsically wrong and this Ad is one of them. The golden rule is that in doing good you should do no harm. Discrimination is discrimination regardless of how you dress it up.

My guess is they saw some cool technology, the chance for publicity and then came up with the Ads justification after the fact.

If girls aren't going to school then there are usually other problems in that society. They are only treating a symptom and ignoring how it interacts with other problems. Solving just one problem could make the whole situation worse. The "Educate the Girls" idea has become popular but is not well thought through. Its based on sound bite and emotionally satisfying reasoning atm.

There is also the question of applying Western value systems to a possibly perfectly functional society in the eyes of its members. In Canada they are now trying to undo the carnage wrought on the Aboriginal Community by well meaning attempts to educate them. The Residential School System was a disaster that did not look at the full picture first.

In short this Ad is awful, divisive and simplistic well meaning attempts at social engineering usually end in disaster.

[Ricardo Martin]

07:11 PM on 02/26/2012

Aboriginal, as in Native Americans? And is the Residential School System you are talking about the "re-education project" designed to remove all semblance of tribal identity from the native population?

[ZimbaZumba]

07:31 PM on 02/26/2012

In Canada they are referred to as Aboriginals. Although difficult to believe, the USA's treatment of it Native population was even worse than that of in Canada.

Those involved in the system, primarily the Church, saw their goals as noble and well meaning as well. Hindsight is 20/20.

[Jim chaos]

07:49 PM on 02/26/2012

Will need to do the same in Ahfganistan.

[MATTHEWSALUH]

10:03 PM on 02/26/2012

You are from another planet. Discrimination takes a right or diminishes the value of another person. This is targeted marketing, which is adjusting the message to a viewer. No one is denied or granted anything of value here. Your stated opinion is a projection of your own fantasies of victimization. Your comparisons are inapropos to the extreme, especially since this is not a effort by an authority. By the way your Canada examples involving the time frame "now" are from the 70's. Get a clue.

[ZimbaZumba]

08:09 AM on 02/27/2012

Concerning Canada, the "Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada", (TRC.com) is in full swing awarding compensation to the those damaged and is still big news up here.

You define "Discrimination takes a right or diminishes the value of another person." well it is difficult to describe the Ad as doing anything other than that, and many feel the same way.

As for its just "targeted marketing" I'd like to see you in the High Street giving free samples of a new soft drink you are promoting to whites only, actively refusing non-whites a sample.