Soon, Facebook users may not even have to share a lot of data about themselves online to be targeted for advertising.
The new facial recognition software and local savings program known as Facedeals allows users to opt into a program that gives them discounts at participating businesses, according to a report from the
New York Daily News. When signing up, users are asked to verify pictures of themselves which are used to identify them.
Then, when they enter a store that has Facedeals cameras in it, the device verifies their identity and may give them deals that are relevant to their interests, the report said. Some organizations, such as Policy Mic and England's Globe and Mail newspaper, have noted this is not unlike the technology used in the dystopian film "Minority Report," but advertisers say that because it is a voluntary app, there is little for consumers to fear.
Eduard Goodman, the chief privacy officer for
Identity Theft 911, has a blog about the privacy challenges consumers face as a result of information they put online.
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