Convergint Refuses To Fix Faked Fever Marketing, FTC Complaint Filed

By: Conor Healy and John Honovich, Published on Jun 19, 2020

Since Convergint has refused to fix their faked fever camera marketing, IPVM has filed a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission which regulates false advertising.

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While Convergint claim to be 'thermal camera solutions experts' in response to surging demand for COVID-19 elevated temperature alerting, Convergint has run faked marketing.

Convergint is aware of the world IEC standards and FDA guidelines for the correct operation of such systems but is using this faked marketing to gain an unfair competitive advantage. Below represents what the FDA has defined as the correct operation in contrast to Convergint's marketing:

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FTC Rules on False Advertising

As 15 US Code § 55 (FTC) and this FTC advertising guidance defines truth-in-advertising, e.g.:

1) "Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive"

2) "Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims".

FTC Complaint Submitted

Since Convergint refuses to fix the obviously faked marketing, IPVM has filed a complaint with the FTC, copied below:

This complaint is on behalf IP Video Market Info (IPVM). We are an authority on the video surveillance industry; in addition to reporting and research, our specialists conduct exhaustive independent product testing in our 12,000 sq ft facility in Bethlehem, PA. Among our areas of subject-matter expertise are thermographic systems, also called fever cameras, thermal cameras or temperature screening cameras. This complaint pertains to the main image for the page at the following link, published on May 27, 2020: https://www.convergint.com/thermal-camera-solution-experts/. It depicts 8 individuals engaged in everyday activities as their body temperatures are measured by a thermal camera. This is a blatantly deceptive depiction by Convergint Technologies, a seller of these systems. Per official FDA and IEC guidelines, and our own testing, thermographic systems can only take body temperatures under narrow, carefully-controlled conditions. The image represents circumstances definitively beyond what is possible. No existing system can: 1) measure the temperatures of multiple individuals simultaneously; 2) interpret an individual’s body temperature from areas other than the face; 3) measure an individual’s temperature if they are not stationary, and facing the camera with their face uncovered 4) measure an individual tying their shoes, as Convergint demonstrates and 5) with their back to the camera, as Convergint demonstrates. The image deceptively implies that body temperature measurement is possible in all of these scenarios. Note, in particular, the outlandish impression given by the two individuals facing away from the camera on the right-hand side. This image will mislead a reasonable consumer about the capabilities of products in ways that are material to their decision to buy. Furthermore, since they are impossible, it is fair to assume that Convergint has no prior evidence of any of the aforementioned implied capabilities. We believe that misrepresentations like this are a matter of public urgency. Facilities worldwide are under pressure to implement minimally disruptive COVID-19 screening. The false representations of this image may induce buyers to make misinformed decisions about what they buy and how they use it, posing a threat not just to balance sheets, but to public health. We contacted Convergint to share these concerns but the company did not respond.

If or when the FTC or Convergint responds, we will update our reporting accordingly.

1 report cite this report:

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A US company marketed a 'thermal temperature scanner' as its own, selling...

Comments (16)

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Ross Vander Klok

IPVMU Certified | 06/19/20 10:08am

Good for you! Another step in holding the industry accountable.

Randy Lines

06/19/20 11:00am

Unpopular Opinion ... The security industry should not be the "guardian" of this technology. We have integrators pushing these out to companies at an amazing rate but frankly neither the integrators or the company have a clue about human physiology. We are security people. Wild claims lead to bad results and there have been some wild claims !!

I guess the question is if it is better than nothing as sadly, the medical and scientific community does not appear to be stepping up ... There is huge opportunity for this technology and I would be excited to read about AI, medical and physics companies pushing the boundaries and developing a low cost medical instrument (oxymoron!).

rbl

Brian Karas

In reply to Randy Lines | 06/19/20 11:02am

The security industry should not be the "guardian" of this technology.

Agreed, the problem is that it starts at the top. There are security manufacturers with no clue about how to properly implement any kind of radiometrics solution that are pushing products into the security channel.

Brian Robertson

In reply to Brian Karas | 06/19/20 11:27am

Precisely why I'm staying out of it.

Undisclosed End User #1

In reply to Randy Lines | 06/19/20 11:48am

"I guess the question is if it is better than nothing as sadly" at best maybe, or much like requiring people to wear cloth masks that do nothing to prevent the spread of the disease it provides a false sense of security that may actually be worse as people let their guard down. I recently received a flyer from a large IT VAR with a picture of a long hallway showing it taking temp readings of the backs of peoples heads over 50 feet away through their hair. If I see that and feel like I can throw up a $10K camera and get accurate readings based on blatantly false advertising and I can stop doing screenings and actual temperate checks, it makes the problem worse.

I agree that there's a huge opportunity for this type of devices, but the hype just doesn't live up to reality yet and that may indeed be because of security manufactures and integrators are trying to jump into a medical device market without the required expertise.

Undisclosed End User #2

In reply to Undisclosed End User #1 | 06/19/20 01:41pm

or much like requiring people to wear cloth masks that do nothing to prevent the spread of the disease

Disagreeing with that part as exactly the opposite is the case

Undisclosed End User #1

In reply to Undisclosed End User #2 | 06/19/20 02:28pm

That's the great part of America we can agree to disagree. But here's a few articles from actual healthcare and infectious disease experts saying that cloth masks and surgical masks are ineffective. As well as conversations I have had with our medical providers and our internal infection control department.

Cloth Masks Are Useless Against COVID-19 | Infection Control Today

Surgical Masks Offer Little Protection to Healthcare Workers | Infection Control Today

When It Comes to Fighting Covid-19, Some Problems Can’t Be Masked | Infection Control Today

N95 masks and respirators provide protection. The rest are mainly just placebo's to make you and others feel better. There's no evidence that regular fabric will do anything to protect you or anyone else from this or any other virus. I wear one because I'm required to at work, but I don't have any belief that it effective at anything other than fogging up my glasses.

Do you have any empirical evidence that they are effective at controlling the spread of Covid-19? I'd love to read it if you do.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

In reply to Undisclosed End User #1 | 06/19/20 06:49pm

The spread of blatant misinformation and politicizing of wearing a mask is one of the key reasons the economy will continue to degrade and for people, especially the middle and lower class, to continue to suffer for years after there is a working, distributed, and trusted vaccine. It is the dumbest thing when I see people both wanting the economy to stay open and not wanting to wear a mask.

It is a proven fact that the combination of wearing a mask and social distancing will reduce the spread of COVID-19. If someone coughs, sneezes, sings, shouts, breathes etc and they are wearing a mask, many droplets will be absorbed into the mask or contained within. Much will get out, but will be ejected upward or downward, instead of straight forward. Somebody standing 6 feet from this person will be much less likely to inhale a viral load enough to infect them, or if infected, has a much better chance not to get critical symptoms. This is grounded in common sense and physics. It is also proven that people are infectious well before they show symptoms. Wearing cloth masks will not protect the wearer, they may protect other people because the wearer may by asymptomatic but infectious.

The articles you posted all claim that wearing a cloth mask does not protect the wearer. At this point, I thought that was a clearly known fact. However, you also state: "There's no evidence that regular fabric will do anything to protect you or anyone else from this or any other virus"

Complete hogwash and you are spreading misinformation and you are part of the problem with ongoing cases, death, and suffering because of it. Several reputable publications have stated something to the tune of: Wearing cloth masks will not protect the wearer, they may protect other people because the wearer may by asymptomatic but infectious.

How Coronavirus Spreads through the Air: What We Know So Far - Scientific American

Cloth masks a worthy line of defense to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic | ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact

The flow physics of COVID-19

There are dozens more. Please stop killing people and prolonging economic disparity by not wearing a mask and suggesting to others to not wear a mask. Being American doesn't give you the right to cause health and economic despair to others.

Undisclosed End User #1

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #3 | 06/19/20 10:52pm

I'll continue down this rabbit hole.

"Somebody standing 6 feet from this person will be much less likely to inhale a viral load enough to infect them, or if infected, has a much better chance not to get critical symptoms." Really? Explain to me how someone wearing a mask will lower the chances of someone getting critically ill if they are infected. The criticality of the illness is related to your immune system and any comorbidities the patient has, not whether the virus was transmitted from a mask wearer. In addition the article even says they have no idea how much of the virus it takes to get sick so you are just pulling that out of nowhere.

Quote from your first article "The likelihood of airborne transmission—especially compared with other routes, such as droplets or surfaces—remains unclear. Most researchers still think the new coronavirus is primarily spread via droplets and touching infected people or surfaces. So diligent hand washing and social distancing are still the most important measures people can take to avoid infection." "There is not much evidence that masks convey protection to healthy people, although it is possible (and may depend on the type of mask)."

I wholly agree social distancing and hand washing are the most effective method to stay healthy. And I also agree there's not much evidence that masks are effective at preventing the spread from an infected person.

Your second article was actually informative, and does demonstrate some effectiveness of the masks she made, but she used filters as well as cloth and admits her study was done quickly and doesn't represent real world conditions.

Your third article really proves my point much more than yours. It talks a lot about how face masks are not effective at stopping leakage especially during coughing. It further comments that there has been very little study done on the outbound protection from mask wearers and that more studies are needed and they are only referring to studies done on N95 and surgical masks, not homemade masks made from whatever material was laying around. All these articles also mention the masks must be well fitted and worn properly, which I rarely see on anyone wearing a mask.

Again you are free to your opinion, but I disagree and I never told you not to wear a mask. You are free to do so as you please or as you are mandated to. Seeing how we haven't had a single death in my community and have only had a few positive cases, please don't lecture me about my causing deaths or destroying our economy. The complete overreaction of fear mongers is what has ruined our economy. Our small businesses and citizens have suffered immensely from the shutdowns, and the health of our community has suffered greatly as patients have gone without or delayed treatment due to fear or because they now can't afford treatment. The economic situation has thrown many into poverty which will have lasting generational effects, increased crime rates, and suicide rates have grown exponentially. At least in my part of the country, the cure was worse than the disease. It's sad and unfortunate that people get sick and die from Covid-19, but we don't shutdown the world and stop our way of life because of other epidemics that cause just as many or more deaths. People that are scared to death of Covid-19 think nothing about the risk factors that put them at higher risk of dying from it such as obesity, tobacco use, drug and alcohol use, and all the other crap they put in their bodies, but lets worry about the 1% chance of dying vs the near 100% of an early death and chronic lifelong conditions. But lets continue to blame all our health and economic issues on people not wearing masks.

Undisclosed Integrator #5

In reply to Undisclosed End User #1 | 07/02/20 09:44am

I agree that the homemade, unfiltered, cloth masks alone is nothing more than a placebo BUT, I think some of the cloth masks (multi layered & those with filters) probably DO cut down on the percentage of droplets getting through so it makes common sense that if both of us are wearing one we would have protected each other at least to some percentage point. But again, masks alone is a placebo. If you combine mask wearing with physical distancing and hand washing which is what health experts have been chanting throughout this pandemic, I think you raise the percentage of reduced chance to get Covid 19 quite a bit more. Not completely but this is where the "better than nothing" theory applies. And ALLLLLLLL of that said, bottom line is - if we don't all wear masks and the #'s continue to rise no matter what - our local, State and/or Fed gov't is going to close us down and blame it on the fact that we didn't wear masks. That's almost a certainty so.....I wear a mask, not because I think I'm going to avoid getting Covid or protect you from me but because I don't want the economy shut down again! I would ask you and all the other "I'm not wearing a mask" or "it violates my constitutional rights to force me to wear a mask" folks to simmer down and just wear the damn mask. The gov't makes you wear clothes in public too but no body is complaining about that right? They just put their undies and pants on every day and go to work or play. I say we all do the same thing with the masks and stop arguing about it. This virus is going to do whatever its going to do and sadly that means a lot of people are going to die until we put the time & effort into getting a vaccine as opposed to fighting about whether or not we have to cover our nose & mouth in public.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #6

In reply to Undisclosed End User #1 | 07/02/20 01:55pm

Please educate yourself. Watch the following video. List to ALL public health officials (scientists, not politicians) on their take on masks.

Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Mask-wearing with Liquid Nitrogen | Chemical Education Xchange

Undisclosed #4

06/19/20 08:36pm

I am not wearing a mask until they start handing out violations.

Did the public wear condoms to protect themselves from aids? Kids were born infected and many unscathed do to chance.

WHO | HIV/AIDS

So now we wear masks? We jump up and down in front of thermal fever cameras on silly rabbit zoomscapes?

There is no argument here or on any media platform, unless you want to argue for the sake of.

The best Science we can do medically, chemically and mathematically needs to be done by those honed to those particular disciplines. REAL DATA is needed, not sub-par mediocre opinions of the internet and its many viral click bait traps, reddit trolls or oversized undisclosed minds with the urge to just let one rip.

Yes we can err on the side of caution and ask, has the 1st wave mutated? No they claim just another wave at the moment(2nd, 3rd?..LOOP?). Are more people wearing masks to stop the spread? Well all those hikvision employees have worn masks at those tasty night markets since SARS and where are they now? If this pandemic was truly GLOBAL where is UNITY that should spring forth to combat the threat? NULL!

All sorts of disease kill, some infections are terminal however why is it 1/2 past the monkeys ass in 2020 that AMERICA finally gets it? All the media can come up with is mandatory masks? fever cams? 2nd wave, damn is this diarrhea?

Balderdash!, You cannot simply call something something and then say it is something!

If Covid is real or fake and if a vaccine is created that is real or fake....WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THE PSYCHIATRIC DESTRUCTION done to our way of life, our way of progression and our right to live due to all this paranoia induced mind rot(who will save our consciousness)? Seriously....is the sky falling and people are dying left and right? Where is the smoking gun that shows an ENTIRE town in the good ole USA simply dying off to Covid overnight in the OMG 2nd wave? Show that kind of data and we have an epidemic on our hands.

Last note: It is phucking unfortunate I am surrounded by dip effing craps that consist of a weak animal running off their High School OS or Community College OS and can barely handle truth and experimentation to proof the logic of the fragile with the hopes of the greedy. Fueled by their religious OS and fear, emotions scale to imminent levels and distort logic. AKA, your massk is on too tight.

So, lets wear a mask. Life is good. I am all for it yet keep in mind. I EXPECT TO SEE ALL AIRBORNE DISEASES REGRESS SUBSTANTIALLY, IF THEY DO NOT....I/YOU/US/WE must call Bullshit!. Cryptic: Right now is the time for some to buy high and sell low when it comes time to survive, "Why you no have!".

Tick tock, tick tock....gather around the map reader...reach out! feel the force! - Yoda

Undisclosed End User #1

In reply to Undisclosed #4 | 06/19/20 11:30pm

Since you brought it up. Wearing a cloth mask some one made out of random material that probably doesn't fit properly and you probably don't wear properly to prevent the spread of an airborne virus is like wearing a sock to prevent pregnancy because we have a condom shortage. You might argue that it's better than nothing and you keep using it because you believe it's working and then bam, she's pregnant. Then you find out socks were never tested as an effective birth control method and you had a false sense of security this whole time.

Back on topic, it's the same as Fever Camera's. All these manufacturers are selling a product that hasn't been proven to be effective in the real world to capture everyone's fear based spending. There's no proof they're accurate enough to actually do any good, and actually tests here show the opposite. Yet they are making baseless and deceptive marketing claims about how effective they are. Some people will claim they are better than nothing or their the first line of defense, but not if they are installed improperly or just ineffective, and they take the place of actual effective measures.

Lynn Harold

In reply to Undisclosed End User #1 | 06/20/20 09:11am

WHAT?? Socks don't work? Damn, I thought I had a use for all the single socks in my drawer that were orphaned in the laundry.

Undisclosed Integrator #7

In reply to Undisclosed #4 | 07/04/20 01:31pm

You sir are an asshole.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #3

In reply to Undisclosed #4 | 07/04/20 01:44pm

Now that we are month in the future since your post and considering developments since then, all logic points to you and people like you as the cause of death, suffering, and economic disparity because you don't wear a mask in public and generally having the "Plandemic" conspiracy delusion. Your psychosis is a far more dangerous disease than COVID-19.