Activist groups urge retailers to halt facial recognition use

Customers walk through a Macy’s Inc department store in New York, US. More than 35 organisations, including Public Citizen and the National Lawyers Guild, have joined the campaign urging companies such as Albertsons Cos and Macy’s Inc not to use facial recognition screening tools on employees or customers, citing concerns over privacy and racial justice, the group said. — Bloomberg

A new coalition of civil rights organisations is calling on retailers to stop using facial recognition tools to screen shoppers, saying the technology can lead to abuses.

More than 35 organisations, including Public Citizen and the National Lawyers Guild, have joined the campaign urging companies such as Albertsons Cos and Macy’s Inc not to use facial recognition screening tools on employees or customers, citing concerns over privacy and racial justice, the group said in a statement Wednesday. The coalition plans to use social media to call out retailers using the tools, it said.