New York retailer finds a solution to catch shoplifters — but customers have a major issue

The city's law dictates that all businesses using such surveillance tech must make it public.

PUBLISHED 4 DAYS AGO

Representative image of shoppers. (Cover image source: Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

No one wants their biometrics to be collected while they’re out shopping, but that is what Wegmans customers are having to deal with, and they’re not happy about it. The retailer recently revealed that it uses facial recognition at its New York City stores for the safety and security of its customers. The technology is used to keep problematic customers and shoplifters at bay. However, the issue is that everyone’s faces are being recorded and remembered.

Representative image of a Wegmans store. (Image credit: Getty Images | Photo by Erik Gonzalez Garcia) — Representative image of a Wegmans store. (Image source: Getty Images | Photo by Erik Gonzalez Garcia)

Facial recognition has been used for many years, though Americans are usually not happy about it. Retailers do not even have to be transparent about using this technology in certain states. However, New York City law dictates that if facial recognition is being used, it has to be made public. The city’s lawmakers have proposed banning businesses from using the technology, but as per a CNN report, legislation has stalled.

Shoppers were not happy when they learned about this, and some even took to social media to make their discontent known. However, they understood why this was being done. “I'm not particularly fond of this kind of tech, but I understand why it's being used. The state has made it apparent that they won't do anything to curtail shoplifting, so companies have to get creative,” one user wrote on Reddit.

Representative image of a shopper buying meat from Walmart. (Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Bob Riha, Jr.) — Representative image of shoppers. (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Bob Riha, Jr.)

“They’re doing it because the data is valuable. Shoplifting is just a convenient excuse,” quipped another. “Businesses use whatever excuse they want to take away your freedom, and there are no repercussions if they lie. People must push back. Don't shop at Wegmans or wear a mask. Fight back in some way,” a third user wrote. There were also a lot of people who supported the cause. “You think Wegmans wants to do this? This tech probably costs them millions. That means whatever theft it’s protecting against is costing them more than that,” another shopper wrote.

Backlash has forced Wegmans to release a statement, in which they have maintained that the technology was only used for the safety of the store and its customers. “This technology is solely used for keeping our stores secure and safe. The system collects facial recognition data and only uses it to identify individuals who have been previously flagged for misconduct. We do not collect other biometric data, such as retinal scans or voice prints. Images and video are retained only as long as necessary for security purposes and then disposed of,” it read.

The Wegmans logo on a window. (Image source: Getty Images | James Leynse)

The problem with facial recognition is that there are no federal, state, or local regulations to check its use. As a result, an instrument so powerful can easily be abused by those with the resources. People have grown skeptical of its use, and it is understandable why.

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