SceneTap's controversial face-scanning app has been installed in more than 30 Boston-area bars

Boston Business Journal by Galen Moore, Web Editor

Date: Wednesday, December 26, 2012, 8:03am EST - Last Modified: Wednesday, December 26, 2012, 8:19am EST

Bar-scene-scanning SceneTap has come to Boston, bringing fears its facial recognition technology could impinge on privacy.

More than 30 bars in Boston and Cambridge have reportedly installed facial recognition technology that locks in on patrons' faces, determining their gender and broadcasting information to a network of mobile users. SceneTap, formerly known as BarTabbers, has brought its bar-scene-scanning technology to Boston, chased by privacy concerns and controversy.

The Austin, Texas-based company brought its service to Boston in November,BostInnovation reported at the time, with its technology installed in bars including Dillon’s, Clerys, Jose McIntyres, The Greatest Bar, Paddy O’s and The Place. The Boston Globe now reports SceneTap is in more than 30 locations, including Om in Cambridge.

The Boston Globe reports (subscription) SceneTap's facial detection readers scan silhouettes from the neck up, gathering 14 data points that help it determine the subject's gender and approximate age. SceneTap's mobile app users can tap their smart phones to figure out what bar scene is likely to suit their needs on any given night out.

According to the Globe, SceneTap’s patent application mentions facial recognition, raising concerns the company may plan to some day collect more information.

“We did not file for patents with plans to invade people’s privacy,” Cole Harper, the 27-year-old CEO of SceneTap told the Globe. Patent lawyers told the firm to cover every potential use of its technology, he said.