Sainsbury’s shopper felt like a ‘criminal’ after facial recognition error
Sainsbury’s slammed after facial recognition error mistook customer for offender
- A data strategist, Warren Rajah, was mistakenly identified as an offender by facial recognition software at a Sainsbury's store in Elephant and Castle, leading to his removal.
- Rajah, 42, was asked to leave the store and had his purchases confiscated after staff confused him with another individual listed as an offender in the system.
- Sainsbury's has since apologised to Mr Rajah, offering a £75 shopping voucher, and stated the incident was due to human error rather than a fault with the Facewatch technology itself.
- Rajah expressed feeling like a "criminal" and has no intention of shopping at Sainsbury's again, raising concerns about the use of such technology in public spaces.
- The incident has prompted criticism from Big Brother Watch regarding the potential for misidentification and trauma, while the Information Commissioner's Office emphasised the need for data protection compliance and robust procedures for facial recognition use.
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks