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A viral post highlighting biometric surveillance at a Wegmans grocery store in New York City is sparking renewed privacy concerns.
“Biometric identifier information collected at this location,” a sign attached to the door of a Wegmans reads.
“Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. collects, retains, converts, stores or shares customers’ biometric identifier information, which may include” facial recognition, eye scans and voiceprints, the sign states.
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Wegmans confirmed it is collecting the biometric readings, telling Digital in a statement the “safety of our customers and employees is a top priority.”
The company went on, “Like many retailers, we use cameras to help identify individuals who pose a risk to our people, customers or operation. In a small fraction of our stores that exhibit an elevated risk, we have deployed cameras equipped with facial recognition technology.”
Wegmans confirmed to Digital that it collects customers’ biometric data in at least some of its stores. (iStock)
Wegmans said the technology in New York City complies with local requirements.
“This technology is solely used for keeping our stores secure and safe. The system collects facial recognition data and only uses it to identify individuals who have been previously flagged for misconduct,” Wegmans said.
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The Rochester, New York-based grocery chain said it retains images and videos of shoppers for “as long as necessary for security purposes” before disposing of them.
“For security reasons, we do not disclose the exact retention period, but it aligns with industry standards,” Wegmans said.
“We do not disclose the exact retention period.”
“Persons of interest are determined by our asset protection team based on incidents occurring on our property and on a case-by-case basis, by information from law enforcement for criminal or missing persons cases.”
Wegmans said it does not share biometric data with any third party.
It is unclear how many stores use the facial recognition technology. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Facial recognition technology serves as one investigative lead for us. We never base our decisions on a single lead alone,” the statement concluded. “Our goal is simple — to keep our stores safe and secure.”
It is unclear how many stores are using facial recognition technology.
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Wegmans has more than 100 stores in nine states — Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia — plus Washington, D.C., according to its website.
Wegmans has more than 100 locations in nine states and Washington, D.C. (John Senter/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Legislator Rachel Barnhart of Monroe County, New York, wrote a letter to Colleen Wegman, president and CEO of the grocery chain, asking her to publicly state if biometric surveillance is in use at Wegmans stores outside of New York City.
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“Reporting on Wegmans’ NYC locations has made clear that biometric surveillance — including facial recognition — is operating in grocery stores where customers have no practical opportunity to provide informed consent or meaningfully opt out,” Barnhart wrote, in part, in her Jan. 4 letter.
“Without explicit, binding limits, assurances that biometric data is used ‘only for security’ are insufficient — particularly given growing law enforcement and federal immigration reliance on third-party data sources,” she went on.
Barnhart questioned whether the technology will one day be used for dynamic pricing or targeted promotions.
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A “substantive written response” was requested within 30 days.
Wegmans describes itself as “a values-based family company” on its website, noting that it was “founded by brothers Walter and John Wegman in Rochester, New York.”
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The company’s story, it also says, “began in 1916, and we’ve been hitting milestones and gaining attention in the supermarket industry ever since.”
