Walmart and Other Stores Use Facial Recognition to Spy on You

MASS PRIVATE I

As early as 2013, Walmart and Facebook announced their plans to begin using facial software on everyone.

According to a Fortune.com article, Walmart tested a facial recognition system that scanned the face of everyone entering several of its stores this year. The system would identify people of interest and alert security but it proved too costly.

Chris Calabrese at the Center for Democracy and Technology warns…

“Anywhere that has a camera could end up employing face recognition technology.”

Walmart like many retailers uses Bosch’s Dinion and Flexidome camera systems:

“The Dinion and Flexidome HDR cameras use state-of the-art Intelligent Video Analysis software (IVA) to detect objects of importance and track their movements. To take further advantage of IVA, a special mode called intelligent auto exposure(iAE) can be enabled in the camera. When this is used, the camera detects important objects such as faces, people and vehicles and then dynamically re-tunes its imaging settings to ensure the most useful, highly detailed image is captured.”

Bosch’s surveillance cameras track customers from the moment they enter the parking lot and throughout the store:

“In video surveillance, moving objects are usually the most significant objects of interest. Intelligent Tracking automatically tracks moving objects based on predefined alarm rules or a simple click.”

Another Bosch IVA video boasts how operators don’t need to watch all the surveillance footage because their ‘intelligent system’ can identify people, cars and objects.

Fortune magazine asked retailers if they used facial recognition and received a response one would expect from law enforcement.

“Home Depot says it does not use face scanning software. Walgreens says it has no contract with FaceFirst, and added it does not discuss specific security measures. Target, meanwhile, would not confirm or deny if the company uses the software.”

“The only company that acknowledged using the software was Walmart. According to a spokesperson, the retailer tested facial recognition software in stores across several states for several months, but then discontinued the practice earlier this year.”

It’s as though retailers took a page out of lying James Clapper’s NSA handbook, when he claimed they don’t knowingly spy on everyone.

It’s not just retailers that are spying on everyone, public transportation commuters are being spied on billions of times a year.

According to Computer Weekly only 30% of retailers admit to using facial recognition software!

Read More HERE