The privacy rights group Big Brother Watch accused Southern Co-op of using facial recognition cameras as “Orwellian” and “illegal”.
According to complaints to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the surveillance system uses new technology and highly invasive processing of personal data to create biometric profiles for all visitors to the store where the camera is installed. ..
According to the group, the technology has been rolled out to 35 stores in Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Bristol, Brighton & Hove, Chichester, Southampton and London.
Silki Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said:
“The Southern Co-op’s direct use of facial recognition surveillance is extremely Orwellian, perhaps illegal, and must be stopped immediately by the Information Commissioner.”
Southern Cooperative said in a BBC statement that it appreciated the Information Commissioner’s “constructive comments”.
The company explained that the system would not store images of people unless they were identified and identified as criminals, including those who were banned.
“These photos were taken within a year of the last crime. People can submit a subject access request to see if this is the case,” a company spokesperson said.
“We take our responsibility for the use of facial recognition very seriously and strive to balance the rights of users with the protection of colleagues and clients from unacceptable violence and abuse.”
Retailers say the technology has made a big difference to the safety of colleagues and customers in a limited number of high-risk places where it is used. “
“The above sign is displayed in every store. As long as it continues to prevent violent attacks, we believe its use is justified.”
In February, supermarket chains including Co-op, Asda and Morrisons said they were using cameras to estimate the age of alcohol buyers and see if their faces were 25 or older.
This raised privacy issues, but the technology could only use algorithms to determine the user’s age and did not retain the captured image.
Source: Metro
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