Cameras in ad displays monitored shoppers' behaviour

Advertising giant JCDecaux will stop an experiment in Belgian shopping centres that monitored how passers-by respond to ads, following privacy concerns.

The interactive ad displays use cameras to collect data on how many shoppers see a promotional message, as well as their movements and facial expressions.

Unlike CCTV, no images are recorded, but De Morgen and Het Laatste Nieuws report that privacy experts believe the procedure is in breach of the law. Belgium's privacy watchdog has made contact with the advertising firm to investigate further.

The experiment emerged from JCDecaux's acquisition last year of Dooh-tv, an interactive advertising specialist. A JCDecaux spokeswoman said the technology made it possible to serve targeted advertising to passers-by.

But the company said the results were not reliable enough - the data collected was often wrong when a shopping mall was particularly busy, and the technology struggled to distinguish between men's and women's faces.

"Several cameras have already been removed," JCDecaux said in a statement. "About 10 others will be removed soon."