November 1, 2018 - There are condominiums in Ontario that have installed screens in their elevators to broadcast advertisements. This is one way to generate additional revenue, which can financially assist a condominium corporation, allowing it to use the funds received from advertisers to maintain its building and ensure its preservation.
Advertisers, who benefit from a captive audience, take advantage of the latest technologies to identify the groups of individuals in an elevator to tailor their advertising messages accordingly. This is made possible through video screens equipped with a camera, enabling advertisers to gather very specific information.
Target Age Groups
The system can determine whether there are only men or women in the cabin, as well as their age group. This allows for the broadcasting of targeted advertising messages, which consider four age categories: 1 to 13 years, 14 to 35 years, 36 to 65 years, and 65 years and older.
Some advertisements are broadcasted only if there are only women in the elevator, while others are shown exclusively in the presence of men. There is even programming that displays messages based on the weather outside.
Discomfort
It is said that such a system cannot perform facial recognition, nor does it record images depicting activities that occur in an elevator. Therefore, there should be no concern regarding the privacy of users. Nevertheless, some Ontario media outlets have recently reported that residents of a condominium expressed discomfort with the concept.
Some individuals have raised concerns about the control of images taken in an elevator. Others are opposed to the idea of advertisements being broadcasted in their building when they have no control over the content.
Before installing equipment that advertises products and services in an elevator, condominium board members would be wise to consult their co-owners to avoid potential disputes that could create unrest within a building.
Montreal, November 1, 2018
By François G. Cellier for Condolegal.com
Source : Lash/Condo Law
