Is Asda breaching your privacy with live facial recognition trial?
We’ve brought you the news earlier this month that Asda is trialling live facial recognition at five of its stores in Greater Manchester in a bid to tackle crime.
But the measure has been widely condemned on social media, with people using #StopFacialRecognition and #StopAsdaSpying to express their discontent.
“Just the beginning,” one user warned, while another commented “to shop there, people must surrender their right to privacy”.
‘Significant backlash on the horizon’
No matter how you feel about the technology, its use is becoming more widespread, the chairman of private investigating firm Tremark told Sky News.
“I believe this kind of technology will expand and become popularly used,” Mark Hodgson said.
“Customers are already having their movements tracked and shopping habits monitored in stores, which raises serious concerns about linking this to AI and biometrics.”
Although the technology is becoming more widely used, Hodgson said whether it should be was a different matter entirely.
He called on supermarkets to provide clear communication with shoppers, who he said were becoming even more data-conscious.
“Supermarkets must be able to demonstrate legitimate interest in their data practices; whether they meet the necessary threshold as it stands is open to debate,” he added.
“They should be clear that biometric data will only be used for specific stated purposes like combating theft.
“Consumers these days are more data-conscious than ever, so if businesses fail to be transparent about the way they are using facial recognition and biometric data, I foresee a significant backlash on the horizon.”
Is it an invasion of privacy?
Hodgson said the fact that Asda was only using a trial period could indicate it was waiting to assess the results before making further decisions.
“I hope they consider the legal and ethical ramifications of this process and act accordingly if rolled out nationwide,” he added.
But what are the legalities with this, and is it an invasion of privacy like people are claiming?
The technology is “particularly intrusive”, according to Will Richmond-Coggan, a data and privacy partner at law firm Freeths.
But he explained there were a number of steps that could be taken to ensure customers’ rights are protected.
He said responsible retailers would make sure they consult consumers ahead of time and use prominent signage that draws the use of the technology to the public’s attention.
“They should be supported by the developers of the technology to understand how privacy concerns are managed and the intrusiveness limited to what is necessary to detect or deter crime or other harmful behaviours,” he added.
“Failure to take these elementary precautions will inevitably result in damage to public confidence and resistance to the use of the technology.”
In announcing the two-month trial, Asda said: “The trial comes at a time when retailers are facing an epidemic of retail crime. According to the BRC trade body, there are more than 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse against shopworkers every day – a threefold increase since 2020.
“Asda recorded circa 1,400 assaults on colleagues last year, an average of four per day.
“With these figures highlighting the growing threat of retail crime, Asda and other businesses are exploring new ways to combat this problem, including trialling facial recognition technology.
“The technology is integrated into Asda’s existing CCTV network and works by scanning images and comparing the results to a known list of individuals who have previously committed criminal activity on an Asda site.
“If a match is found by the automated system, in a matter of seconds a member of the Asda head office security team will conduct a check and feedback to the store in real time.”
In a comment to Money regarding this piece, Asda also pointed out this would help keep customers safe – and added: “This trial uses Asda’s existing CCTV system and fully complies with all data protection regulations.”
