Questions are being raised about new smart-shelf technology being introduced in the United States that will allow retailers to gauge the gender, age and even mood of shoppers as they peruse store shelves – all with the aim of marketing to them directly.

Kevin Andrews is a local technology blogger and the host of VOCM Tech Talk.

He says the mini cameras are placed on shelves throughout the store and that the system will attempt to assess the type of products you might be interested in buying with targeted marketing.

But that’s raising some serious privacy concerns.

He says even if the information collected is anonymous, it can still be intrusive. If a buyer, for example, eyes a dessert but chooses not to buy it for health reasons, it might show up again near the checkout line in an attempt to get you to buy it.