Wegmans is using facial recognition cameras to “help identify individuals who pose a risk to our people, customers, or operation” in a small number of its stores, the grocery chain said in a statement on Monday.
The retailer said it uses the technology to spot individuals who have been “previously flagged for misconduct,” adding that its asset protection staff identifies people of interest based on incidents that take place on its property. The retailer also uses information from law enforcement for missing person or criminal cases on a case-by-case basis to help it identify people to look for using its facial recognition systems.
Wegmans did not specify which of its 114 stores are equipped with facial recognition technology, but indicated that it has posted signage notifying customers that the technology is in use in stores in New York City, where it has two locations, to “comply with local requirements.”
New York City is one of only a handful of jurisdictions in the U.S. that require businesses to notify people if they use biometric systems on their premises, according to a tracker maintained by law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP. A city law that took effect in 2021 requires retailers and other commercial establishments to post signage to make people aware if they have facial recognition technology in place.
Gothamist, a New York City news outlet, reported on Saturday that Wegmans has posted signage indicating that it uses biometric data from people who enter its stores in the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. A photo of one of the signs published by the site indicates that the biometric markers Wegmans collects in the stores may include facial images, eye scans and voiceprints.
In its statement, however, Wegmans said it only collects details about people’s faces in its stores.
“This technology is solely used for keeping our stores secure and safe. The system collects facial recognition data and only uses it to identify individuals who have been previously flagged for misconduct. We do not collect other biometric data such as retinal scans or voice prints,” the company said.
Wegmans said it keeps the images and video for “as long as necessary for security purposes” and then disposes of the information, noting that it does not disclose how long it holds onto the data for “security reasons.”
Wegmans added that it is aware of concerns that facial recognition systems can be biased in how they interpret details about people.
“We employ a multitude of training and safety measures to help keep people safe. Facial recognition technology serves as one investigative lead for us. We never base our decisions on a single lead alone,” Wegmans said.
In 2023, the New York Post reported that Fairway Market was using biometric technology to combat theft in a store in the city’s Upper West Side neighborhood.
Biometric technology has attracted scrutiny from regulators. In May 2023, the Federal Trade Commission warned that the technology “raises significant consumer privacy and data security concerns and the potential for bias and discrimination.” Later that year, the agency banned former drug retailer Rite Aid from using facial recognition technology for surveillance for five years because some people were falsely accused of wrongdoing.
