Human rights activists have appealed to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to request a ban on facial recognition for buyers in supermarkets in the south of England. Reuters writes about it.

According to Big Brother Watch, Southern Cooperative uses scanners in 35 stores in ten cities. The system creates a biometric profile of each visitor, which allows the retailer to create a “blacklist” of buyers. If one of them enters the store, the staff is notified.

Human rights activists called the system “Extremely Orwellian” and urged the ICO to investigate whether it violated data protection laws.

“Our legal complaint to the Information Commissioner is a vital step towards protecting the privacy rights of the thousands of people affected by this dangerously intrusive private espionage,” Silky Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said in a statement. she said.

Southern Co-operative, which operates fewer than 200 stores, said it welcomes any constructive feedback from the ICO.

“We take our responsibilities regarding the use of facial recognition very seriously and work hard to balance the rights of our customers with the need to protect our colleagues and customers from unacceptable violations and abuses,” the company said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the retailer added that the biometric identification system is only used in stores with a high crime rate. The need for installation was explained by the desire to protect employees from known criminals.

According to the disclosure, the database does not store images of people who have not been identified as criminals.

“This gives our colleagues time to decide on any action they need to take, such as politely asking them to leave the building or escalating the incident if it’s an injunction violation,” the company said.

Recall that in October 2021 the UK government Commissioner for CCTV cameras, Fraser Sampson, called for regulation of the use of biometric identification technology.

In April 2022, the European Commission announced plans to create a giant facial recognition database to be shared with EU law enforcement.