NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers’ eyes, voices and faces

https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-wegmans-is-storing-biometric-data-on-shoppers-eyes-voices-and-faces

19 Comments

  1. HeavyDutyForks on

    >Wegmans and other businesses that collect biometric data are required to post signs announcing the practice because of a 2021 city law, but it’s unclear how many other companies may be using similar practices.
    The agency in charge of implementing the law has no enforcement mechanism for businesses that don’t comply, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection

    >Blaze Herbas, 29, said she shopped at the store but would avoid it in the future.

    >“We should be able to shop freely without data being saved on us. That’s obvious,” she said.

    You should be able to do a lot of things freely without having sensitive personal data store, categorized, and (possibly) weaponized. Consumer privacy laws **NEED** to be enacted/changed, its become extremely ignorant the amount of freedom almost every company has to collect personal info. The worst part is, most people seem to have this uncaring nonchalant attitude towards it

  2. Can someone clarify if the users were given an opt out for this? The article doesn’t address consent of collecting this type of data? Only that the store has a sign saying it is being collected? Seems illegal.

  3. Didn’t Minority Report call this like 20 years ago lol they probably wanted to then just lacked the compute power.

  4. CrotalusHorridus on

    This is why there was an astroturfing campaign against face masks during Covid

    No one cared until propaganda told the right wing that the should

    Face scanners at retailers can’t get a read on you with masks

    And that data is very valuable to them

  5. Fuck this big brother move. I’m so sick of everything thinking you can record everything including DNA from someone if they simply step foot outside their homes.

  6. Welcome to 2015.

    Walmart has been capable of this if not doing it everywhere for a decade, and so have many other chains. As an analyst designing shelf layouts ten years ago I had access to data like this.

    We could generate heat maps of shelves to see what spots customers’ eyes focused on the most, etc. No telling how detailed it is now, but if you shop at a chain grocery store you’re probably already being tracked like this.

  7. Some day we will have contact lenses and masks that enable someone to bypass biometric-based variable pricing.

  8. husky_whisperer on

    > The information is used to “protect the safety and security…

    No it is-fucking-not.

    Anybody that still buys that horseshit today needs to have their outside privileges revoked for a week so they can think about that.

  9. WindowsVistaWzMyIdea on

    Wegmans is not unique and is not a leader in this area. You name the major chain, chances are they are doing the same. Walmart and Target have been doing this for YEARS

    We need to put an end to corporate surveillance

  10. After covid I’ve continued to wear a mask at a lot of locations and stuff like this is exactly the reason.

  11. iTALKtoMYmyself on

    this shit makes me want to wear a respirator and sunglasses whenever i go out, i already cover my forehead to keep my hair in check

  12. Time to start wearing a mask and big ass sunglasses. Also wear a hat with owls eyes on it just to confuse the AI slop.

    Now there’s a business. Making anti-biometric collection apparal.

  13. Rattus_NorvegicUwUs on

    So because they are selling the customer biometrics, that must mean the customer is getting a steep discount?