New billboards near Toronto’s Union Station are raising concern among some commuters over their facial detection software.
The controversy erupted after a Reddit post on Nov. 2 highlighted the billboards’ use of facial detection technology to track and analyze data of passersby, including their age and gender.
The post, which has now gone viral across many social media platforms, included a photo of the disclaimer as well as a billboard of a taco advertisement, outside of Union Station’s bus terminal, with a camera highlighted in the top left corner.
“I didn’t sign up for this, I didn’t know there was a camera there,” James Davis, a Toronto commuter, told Global News.
Cineplex Digital Media (CDM), which owns the billboards, said the technology only detects the presence of a face and estimates age and sex. CDM added in a release that no images or personal data are stored, and all processing happens within milliseconds.
Cineplex issued a release about completing a sale of its digital media division, Cineplex Digital Media, to U.S.-based Creative Realities Inc. on Nov. 7, just days after the post about the Union Station billboard went viral. It’s not yet clear how the change in ownership could affect oversight or privacy compliance for Canadians recorded by the system.
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However, concerns persist over how such technology is being deployed in public spaces.
Privacy experts cited in a release that the technology’s safeguards rely heavily on corporate assurances.
“The justification for the technology is that no personally identifiable information is being stored,” said Charles Finlay, founding executive director of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Toronto Metropolitan University.
“We have to trust the private company that that is what is happening and not something else, which is a leap of faith in terms of technology and privacy that many people may frankly not be willing to take.”
Several Reddit users also voiced frustration, questioning the lack of consent.
“They film you before you even have a chance to read that fine print, I would say a small piece of tape is fair game,” a Reddit user by the name of @Belzebutt said.
“This is one of the entrances to a public bus station. It’s not like it’s optional,” Reddit user @Raccoolz added.
Privacy concerns around biometric data collection are not new.
In 2020, an investigation by federal, Alberta and B.C. privacy commissioners found Cadillac Fairview used facial recognition in mall kiosks to analyze the images of five million shoppers without meaningful consent.
The investigation prompted calls for stricter guidelines and explicit permission before capturing such data.
While companies like CDM say their technology is anonymous and compliant, mixed reactions from the public warn that a lack of clear consent and transparency could blur the line between convenience and surveillance.
Finlay said these are “legitimate concerns in people’s minds about what is being captured by these cameras.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
