And finally…Big Brother is watching you - and selling you stuff

A huge new advertising screen which is being dubbed the “Big Brother Screen” is to be installed in central London’s Piccadilly Circus utilising “recognition technology” to specifically target individuals and vehicles that are passing by.

Piccadilly Lights, one of the most recognisable landmarks in London, is due to relaunch later this month after a major renovation by owner Landsec.

And its new vast screen, which at around the size of four tennis courts will be the largest of its kind in Europe, is 4K enabled and features facial and car recognition technology to target people with hidden cameras.

Landsec said the technology will see its content “influenced by the characteristics of the crowd around it”.

“It is also able to respond and deliver bespoke ad content triggered by surroundings in the area”, the company added, revealing that this content will be influenced by gender, age group and even the emotions displayed by those passing by.

Landsec has also said this process will be carried out without collecting or storing any personal details.

As well as the hidden cameras used to identify and analyse data gathered from foot and road traffic as it goes by, the screen will also automatically respond to live weather, news, sports and social media updates.

It also provides free Wifi which researchers have warned could be used to harvest all the information stored in your phone.

“The reality of this digital game is that the free WiFi you connect to is the real gold-mine for the sponsors of this technology”, cyber-security expert Douglas Crawford from BestVPN.com.

“They can use it to monitor and capture your every online move.

“Savvy customers who want to protect their privacy from prying eyes are advised to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to stay one step ahead of the businesses desperately trying to capture their data.”

The new screen will keep the traditional six-panel “patchwork” design, but will also have the ability to switch to a single giant display as needed.

The screen produces 281 trillion colours and each pixel is 8mm from the next - giving it extremely high-definition images.

Brands signed up to the platform can pre-program triggers so specific adverts are played when certain car models pass, according to Landsec who own the screen.

Every ten minutes a single brand will fill the screen for 30 seconds.

Coca-Cola, Hyundai, Samsung and L’Oreal will be the first brands to use the space.