Controversy Surrounds Facewatch Facial Recognition Technology in UK Retail
Facewatch is a cloud-based facial recognition system deployed by UK retailers including Sainsbury's, Budgens, and Sports Direct to scan customers upon entry and alert stores if matches are found with a database of known offenders.
Retailers have turned to Facewatch in response to rising shoplifting and violence, with offences increasing 13% to almost 530,000 in the year to June, alongside more than 2,000 daily incidents of violence or abuse against staff. Ruxley Manor Garden Centre reported shoplifting losses of about 1.5% of turnover, raising concerns over staff safety amid brazen theft.
However, civil liberties groups have voiced serious privacy concerns. Silkie Carlo from Big Brother Watch described Facewatch as a dangerous privatised policing industry and warned about the risks of biometric data being used to label people as criminals.
A notable case of misidentification involved Rennea Nelson, who was wrongly flagged at a B&M store, leading to police involvement and risk to her immigration status. The retailer issued an apology, attributing the incident to a rare human error.
Nick Fisher, Facewatch's chief executive, responded stating that the system limits data to known repeat offenders stored in a proportionate manner and complies with UK GDPR. He argued that when used responsibly, the technology can be a force for good.
