Sainsbury’s making major change in store with controversial new technology

The second biggest retailer has just revealed a major change. Sainsbury’s has announced plans to potentially introduce facial recognition in stores across the UK. This move comes amid a rise in theft, abuse, and threatening behaviour that the retailer said continues despite close cooperation with police and government agencies. Sainsbury’s is launching an eight-week trial of the technology at two locations with one being in Sydenham, London, and the other at the Oldfield Sainsbury’s Local in Bath.

The trial aims to combat increasing incidents of retail crime by identifying and deterring offenders and the decision was announced to staff this week. The supermarket is partnering with facial recognition firm Facewatch, whose technology has already been adopted by other retailers such as Home Bargains to help identify individuals involved in theft or violent behaviour.

Sainsbury’s chief executive, Simon Roberts, said: “We have listened to the deep concerns our colleagues and customers have and they’re right to expect us to act.

“The retail sector is at a crossroads, facing rising abuse, anti-social behaviour and violence. We must put safety first. We understand that facial recognition technology can raise valid questions about data and privacy.

“This trial and subsequent roll out is not about monitoring colleagues or our valued customers. It’s focused solely on identifying serious offenders who have committed acts of violence, aggression, or theft, helping our teams prevent further harm.”

According to Sainsbury’s, the system is designed to alert staff when individuals with a history of violence, aggression, or shoplifting enter the store. If a face is not matched to any known offender, the data is immediately deleted to protect customer privacy, the retailer insisted.

However, similar moves have sparked significant debate in the past, with some warning about potential risks to personal data. 

Earlier this year, Asda faced controversy and complaints after trialing live facial recognition technology in stores and it also faced a legal challenge from privacy advocacy group, Big Brother Watch for trialing live facial recognition technology in stores.

The group claimed the technology turned “shoppers into suspects” and raised serious concerns about bias, accuracy, and the lack of due process. 

Madeleine Stone, senior advocacy officer at Big Brother Watch, labelled the technology “Orwellian” and “deeply disproportionate,” warning it could lead to innocent people being added to secret watchlists or wrongly identified as shoplifters.