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| © Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited Amazon is offering up $25 gift cards in exchange for 3D scans of your body. The firm is hosting a study as part of Amazon Body Labs that seeks to 'learn about diversity among body shapes' |
By Annie Palmer, Daily Mail
Amazon is offering up $25 gift cards in exchange for 3D scans of your body.
The internet giant is currently conducting a study at its New York office as part of Amazon Body Labs that seeks to 'learn about diversity among body shapes,' according to a listing, which was first spotted by Mashable.
Participants who set up a 30-minute appointment will be asked to take a survey and agree to have 3D scans, photos and videos taken of them.
The move comes as Amazon has faced privacy concerns around its collection of data from Echo devices, as well as the deployment of its controversial facial recognition software.
Scans will be taken in both their 'everyday clothing,' as well as 'form-fitting' garments, which for women might include a bikini or form-fitting shorts and a sports bra, the listing states.
Participants' height and weight measurements will also be taken during each session.
Amazon said any data collected from participants will 'be used exclusively for internal product research.'
The firm added that it won't use the data for marketing purposes, however, it noted that any responses are subject to Amazon's Privacy Notice, which details what kinds of data it collects and how it is managed.
After supplying a 3D scan of their body, participants are then given a $25 gift card.
Mashable noted that a reporter signed up for the study and was told they would be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement to participate, which means anything that occurred during the study would be required to remain confidential.
Amazon Body Labs was formed after the firm acquired the 3D body modeling startup Body Labs in 2017.
Body Labs previously provided 3D body models for shopping and video games, however, their technology has also been used in law enforcement, according to Mashable.
Amazon has also hosted other body-scan studies in the past.
Last year, the firm was looking for participants to allow the firm to track changes in their bodies over a 20-week period, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It's not completely clear what Amazon intends to do with the data it collects from this new study, but many have speculated it could be harnessed to improve Amazon's Echo Look.
The Echo Look is a 'style assistant' camera that was first launched by the firm last June.
