A major privacy warning has been issued over the rollout of a cloud-based facial recognition system in Sainsbury's supermarkets and other high-street chains. The technology, supplied by Facewatch, is now being used by retailers including Sainsbury's, Budgens, and Sports Direct.
How the Facial Recognition System Works
The security tool scans the faces of customers as they enter a store. These images are instantly compared against a database of known offenders. If the system identifies a potential match, it sends an alert to staff, warning them that a suspected shoplifter has entered the premises.
Silkie Carlo, director of the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, has labelled the tool "very dangerous." She argues it fundamentally threatens public fairness and justice. "Just going to do your supermarket shopping, a company is quietly taking your very sensitive biometric data," Carlo stated. "That’s data that’s as sensitive as your passport, and [it’s] making a judgement about whether you’re a criminal or not."
The Human Cost of Misidentification
The risks of the technology were highlighted by the experience of customer Renna Nelson, who was wrongly identified while shopping at B&M. A staff member approached her, stating, "your face set off the alarm because you’re a thief," and threatened to call the police.
"At that point, I was around six to seven months pregnant and I was having a high-risk pregnancy," Nelson explained. "I was already going through a lot of anxiety and, so him coming over and shouting at me, it was like really triggering me."
In response, a B&M spokesperson called the incident "a simple case of human error" and offered a sincere apology. They emphasised that such reported incidents are rare and stated the service is designed to comply with UK GDPR and protect staff from aggressive shoplifting.
Industry Defence and Ongoing Concerns
Facewatch has defended its technology, stating it operates on a match/no match basis with near-100% accuracy and only triggers alerts for repeating offenders. A spokesperson said: "If you’ve done nothing wrong, there is nothing to fear because your data is immediately deleted if no match is detected."
The company positioned its system as a proportionate crime-prevention tool, necessary due to significant strain on police resources. It claims the targeted approach helps protect retail workers from growing threats of theft, abuse, and violence.
Despite these assurances, privacy campaigners maintain that the widespread, discreet collection of biometric data from the general public sets a dangerous precedent. The debate continues as more retailers adopt similar surveillance technologies to combat retail crime.
