Rite Aid’s facial recognition gets a 5 year ban

Rite Aid, a company that used facial recognition technology to track potential shoplifters and suspicious behavior, has been directed to cease using facial recognition technology for the next five years. They are obligated to erase the collected data and inform customers if their information is utilized similarly in the future. The ban comes after accusations of misidentifying customers, particularly targeting Black, Hispanic, and female individuals.

The technology was initially designed to create a database containing personal information like names, birthdays, and behavior patterns. However, it raised concerns when it allegedly misidentified shoppers in a racially biased manner. The technology was predominantly deployed in neighborhoods with a high concentration of non-White residents. Employees reportedly trailed flagged customers without their knowledge, heightening privacy concerns. Reports also suggested that the system matched a Black woman with a white woman from the database, leading to the police being erroneously called.

Surprisingly, when the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) inquired about the prevalence of facial recognition technology in top retailers back in 2018, only 10% of surveyed companies were open to disclosing their usage.