I went to a Citibank ATM this afternoon and noticed this posted at the machine.

Couldn’t they have put up a better looking notice? Maybe used something with a Citibank logo. Maybe pasted the notice vertically so it didn’t run past the pillar. They definitely could’ve worded it better, because the copywriting is pretty awful, and left out the quotation marks.

I wonder who this notice could be directed at. I figure there are two kinds of people. The first would be women wearing hijab and they’re certainly not going to unveil themselves for a camera, even an ATM security camera. The second would be people who’ve come to the machine to do something dodgy. I can really see themselves posing for a pic.

I suppose there could be a third type — the guy who picks his nose a lot. At least he’ll know not to do it when withdrawing money.

Lastly, we’re not really a very security-aware society. There aren’t any CCTV-type setups here and we’re pretty oblivious to our surroundings. I would bet good money that most people who use an ATM don’t even know there’s a camera watching them and if they do, they’re not thinking about it when at the machine.

You’ve just made them conscious of the fact that you want to have a look at their face. They’ll be more inclined to cover up now that they know you want to have a look at them.

So, in essence, the notice feels invasive, achieves nothing and looks horrid.

Technorati Tags: citibank, atm, security, notice, copywriting, privacy