SceneTap, previously known as BarTabbers, is a mobile application and website launched in 2010 by the social networking company SceneTap, LLC, based in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois, USA. The tool allows end users to view real-time data regarding how many patrons are in an establishment, and more detailed information such as male-to-female ratios and average age. In addition, it allows establishments to post live coupons and specials for users to purchase.

Application and Website

SceneTap's data is fed to its mobile application and website through electronic recording cameras installed at each establishment. The current network is primarily based in Chicago, and initial expansion areas include Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

, New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Austin

Austin

Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...

, and Miami.

On-site cameras scan each individual's face for gender and age, and this information is then compiled into a database and funneled to end users. The mobile application and website also provide "real-time" specials on food and drink to end users, which are submitted by each establishment.

Controversy

Controversy has arisen around privacy and security concerns regarding the mobile application and website. A camera system and multiple software programs are able to analyze a video feed and determine movement, gender, and age components. The company, however, maintains that it does not record any video and no users have access to the video feed.

In addition, LGBT

LGBT

LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

groups have given concern over bucketing individuals into "male" and "female" categories.