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TWO major retailers are being blasted over a high-tech anti-theft measure that some shoppers are calling “absurd.”
Macy’s and Walgreens have come under fire for using facial recognition cameras throughout their stores, which they claim are mainly used to prevent shoplifting.
However, shoppers like Caitlin Seeley George, believe the measures are simple used to “police people.”
George, a member of the anti-face recognition campaign organization Fight for the Future, recently told the Daily Mail that their group has been protesting the use of this technology.
She claimed the use of the artificial intelligence has been “steadily spreading” among retailers in recent years, appearing in major stores across the country.
“A lot of stores are saying they’re using it to identify shoplifters and as a tool to deter shoplifting,” George said, adding that the tech is allowing retailers to gather more information about shoppers.
“But it’s also being used for marketing purposes, they are gathering information on shoppers and seeing what they are buying and not buying – and using AI tools to analyze the emotions of shoppers and see what sort of ads to direct at them.”
While some states have begun to regulate the use of such AI technologies, the activist revealed there isn’t a large policy nationwide, allowing it to be used on a widespread basis.
These technologies, such as AI and machine learning from companies like ALFI, allow retailers to collect information about shoppers – such as their emotions – through facial recognition.
ALFI specifically allows businesses to create target advertising campaigns to their customers, based on their demographics captured by the facial recognition technology.
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Walgreens is one of many companies that uses the technology, reporting installing it in approximately 750 stores in 2021, according to the Daily Mail.
ALFI has said their technology is GDPR and CCPA compliant, claiming there are no cookies and no personal information or facial images stored.
However, that hasn’t stopped campaigns like Fight for the Future to protest its use.
“‘We have been working to stop use of facial recognition really broadly in terms of government and law enforcement use, as well as private corporate entities using it in public places,” George told the outlet.
“And we’ve had some success targeting individual kind of spaces in order to put a lot of public pressure on them to get them to stop.”
George revealed that their organization has directly pressed retailers on their use of facial recognition technology, including Macy’s.
The activist said the major retailer has no plans to stop their usage.
“A lot of what we’re seeing is that there’s a lot of fear of shoplifting. A lot of these stores don’t have the wiggle room to lose their profits on this. And then law enforcement also isn’t doing anything,” she said.
“The reality is that anytime there’s mass surveillance of a society, it’s used to police people.”
George said Fight for the Future is also seeking for retailers to be more honest about their usage of this type of technology.
She claimed that many ordinary shoppers might not have the access to look up every store policy to find out if they use AI.
“For anyone who is going to the grocery store, people can’t go online and look up all the store’s privacy policies, every time they need to run out and get something it’s just absurd. That’s why we are trying to raise understanding around this issue.”
Macy’s and Walgreens did not immediately respond to The US Sun’s request for comment.
