Retailer use of facial recognition tech to get new legal code from government
The UK government is developing a new legal code to govern how retailers use facial recognition technology in stores. The move suggests existing rules are seen as insufficient to cover the specific ways this surveillance is being deployed in retail settings.
Why this matters: Facial recognition in shops means your face is being scanned while you buy groceries. You did not opt in. You may not know it is happening. A new code of practice sounds like progress, but codes are not laws. They set expectations without guaranteeing enforcement or giving individuals a real way to push back. The question is whether this gives shoppers actual protection or just gives retailers a cleaner way to say they followed the rules.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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