--- title: Vending Machine Tweets When You Snack description: Now everyone will know about that Twix bar canonical: https://time.com/55443/vending-machine-tattles-on-you-on-twitter-when-you-buy-a-snack/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-09T15:35:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:48:44.018Z og:title: This Vending Machine Tweets About You Every Time You Buy a Snack og:description: Now everyone will know about that Twix bar og:url: https://time.com/55443/vending-machine-tattles-on-you-on-twitter-when-you-buy-a-snack/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Vending Machine Tweets About You Every Time You Buy a Snack twitter:description: Now everyone will know about that Twix bar twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Vending Machine Tattles on You on Twitter When You Buy a Snack > Sponsored content. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Apr 9, 2014 3:35 PM UTC by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Apr 9, 2014 3:35 PM UTC A hackspace in the UK created a vending machine named Holly that tweets every single time someone gets a candy bar — and names the snacker (although not the snack of choice) by name.  Computerphile/YouTube Unsurprisingly, the hackers at Nottingham Hackspace have started to rebel. “We have turned it off in recent weeks because people are arguing with it and getting quite angry that it was telling everybody that they were eating on a regular basis,” hacker [James Fowkes told Computerphile in a video interview.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NVex5tVGy8) Of course, this isn’t Twitter and vending machine’s first marriage. A [vending machine filled with stuffed panda bears](http://mashable.com/2013/12/19/twitter-vending-machine/) in Canada would drop a toy whenever anyone tweeted #HomeTweetHome: > [](https://twitter.com/Gabriel%5FLynn/status/411596530173628416) At SXSW, [Oreo created a vending machine that customized Oreos](http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/oreo-vending-machine-twitter-customize-cookies-article-1.1718007) based on what flavors were trending on Twitter: > [](https://twitter.com/axjoffe/status/443180307462631424) [Seeds of Change even created a Twitter-enabled vending machine](http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/twitter-enabled-vending-machine-lets-you-tweet-free-seeds.html) (#PledgeToPlant) that expelled organic seeds to people who tweeted about where they wanted to help build a better, greener community: > [](https://twitter.com/EveryLastMorsel/status/444560142278086656) Still, all of these high minded concepts are slightly different than a food shaming vending machine that can’t keep its mouth closed about your latest Twix bar. 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