After a Wegmans disclosure, Erie County, New York, bans businesses from using facial recognition
Erie County, New York has passed a ban prohibiting businesses from using facial recognition technology, a move prompted by a disclosure from grocery chain Wegmans that it had been using the technology in its stores. The ban marks one of the stricter local responses to commercial facial recognition in the United States.
Why this matters: Most people buying groceries have no idea their face is being scanned and logged. Wegmans was doing it, told people, and Erie County responded by banning the practice for all businesses. That is how this is supposed to work. The disclosure forced a real policy response. Facial recognition in retail is not just a security camera upgrade — it turns a shopping trip into a biometric data collection event, usually without meaningful consent. Other counties and cities are watching what happens when local governments actually draw a line.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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