Magazine Photos Fool Age-verification Cameras

gregor-e writes "Japan has scheduled a full-scale rollout of visual age-verification on cigarette vending machines. Unfortunately for them, a Sankei Sports news reporter has determined that this system can be fooled by holding up a magazine photo of an adult."

Comments

Impressive

[mistersooreams]

Wow, this whole idea is fantastically stupid in so many ways. In a sense I admire the gall of whichever company sold this technology, as they must have known that it couldn't possibly work. No doubt they'll roll out some ad-hoc solution to the magazine workaround (earning themselves another hearty payday as all the machines are updated). This can be repeated for each new workaround until everyone involved retires rich and their customer is too embarrassed to admit that the whole thing was obviously a waste of money.

At least it's a tobacco company getting shafted. Can't feel too sorry for them.

Re:Impressive

[Valar]

Eh, actually they don't want it to work. This way they can say "we tried to stop it from selling to kids!", but when the machine dispenses anyway they can make some extra bucks. It could easily be a way to avoid the age limits on who they can sell to.

Re:Impressive

[rubberchickenboy]

Can you just imagine what Japan would be like if marijuana were legal there?

It would be a huge improvement. I love it here in Tokyo, but sometimes it would be nice to burn one with some Japanese friends just to chill out. So many people here are overly-stressed, anxious, and unwilling to talk about it. Sure, those things are cultural, but they're also the sorts of things pot actually helps alleviate.

What's better? The high rate of suicide in Japan? How about the high incidence of alcohol poisoning? I fail to see how pot would make things worse.

Unfortunately, MacArthur made sure that Japanese demonize marijuana and think of it as more dangerous than heroin or cocaine.

Complex systems, simple workaround

[nightglider28]

It's funny when people try to create a complex system in which someone finds a tiny, simple hole. On a related note, wouldn't it be a better idea (and probably more cost effective than continual update to the security) to have some sort of ID scanner in addition to the cameras?

Re:Cracking at its best

[CaptainPatent]

BTW it is easy to fix this if the machine asks the people to move

Or better yet, add a second eye to make sure the subject has... depth!

Age-controlled vending machines have a place

[davidwr]

Their place is in an age-restricted building or room.

Cigarette vending machines in bars, casinos, adult-entertainment establishments, and other placed where Junior can't get in without bribing the doorman, er, I mean presenting a convincing fake id, are no problem.

If they really wanted to handle this with a machine, they would make you insert your driver's license, tell you to close either your left eye or right eye or make some other facial expression at random, then compare the faces. They would double-check with the driver's license database to make sure the face on the license matched the face on record.

Thankfully, we aren't quite to this 1984 scenario yet, but this is coming.

Re:Age-controlled vending machines have a place

[Deagol]

Well, sure, if you're already hooked, then your points hold true. However, you truly have to be a follow-the-crowd dumb-ass to force your way through the initial phases of smoking in order to become tolerant of the practice and then become an addict. Unlike like other addictions (such as chocolate, whippets, or booze) which are *initially* pleasurable, a first time smoker's response of usually one of distaste.

Ever wonder why so many movies or TV shows portray this scene:
1. Some bad boy/girl wannabe lights up their first smoke
2. They choke and cough, being generally shocked at how awful it is
3. They are then ridiculed by the veteran bad boys/girls who do smoke

This is such a common theme because -- wait for it -- the short-term instincts of animals tells them that smoke (or its source) is hazardous to the animal's health or well-being.

I'm about as anti nanny state as most people get. The poster who offered me the friendly "fuck you" totally missed the point. I don't wish to curb such self destructive behavior -- more power to those who enjoy it, so long as it doesn't negatively affect my own health, taxes, or insurance premiums. I just want smokers to acknowledge their habit is about as rational as shitting in their own water supply or jumping from cliffs.