Japan's Pokémon Card Stores to require facial recognition for entry and TCG purchases -
Pokémon Card Stores in Japan are set to require facial recognition scanning for customers to enter the stores and purchase trading cards. The move appears aimed at controlling resellers or managing high-demand inventory, though specific operational details remain limited.
Why this matters: Think about what this actually is: a retail store scanning your face before you can buy a card game. That is a significant amount of biometric data collected from ordinary shoppers, including children, just to manage inventory. Facial recognition does not stay contained. Once a company has a biometric database of who shops where and how often, that data exists and can be breached, sold, or handed to authorities. The question is not whether scalpers are annoying. It is whether buying a trading card should cost you your face.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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