On July 24, the Pokémon Card Game’s official website quietly announced that it will be introducing a facial recognition system for customers wishing to enter Japan’s Pokémon Card Stores. Agreement to the scan is a requisite for entering the stores.
The Pokémon Company says that facial recognition scans are being implemented for the purposes of crime prevention and to ensure compliance with entry and purchase rules, with that last point implying that this is the latest attempt to combat the growing problem of Pokémon card scalping.
Facial scans will be required for all shoppers of elementary school age or older, which translates into ages 6 and up. Children younger than 6 will not need to have their faces scanned, but are also prohibited from entering the Pokémon Card Stores without being accompanied by a parent or guardian, so in effect no one will be getting into the stores without themselves or someone in their group getting scanned. The Pokémon Company says that facial and visit number data will be retained to the extent necessary to fulfill the system’s safety and anti-scalping purposes, then deleted “after a certain amount of time has passed.”
Which will do no good against the people lining up at the vending machines in stations and such, waiting for them to be filled, and then buying most/all of their stock.
They already discontinued the vending machines because of this.
That’s unfortunate, especially for kids who may not be allowed to go other places but could use the vending machine in a station (well, if idiots weren’t buying them all, anyway).
Do they have cameras on the vending machines?
I have no idea. I just saw it brought up in a local discussion post. I have zero interest in pokemon so haven’t bought anything myself.
Same same. I just know vending machines have been adding cameras and facial rec tools for a few years now. It would not surprise me if these were so equipped.