The agency says the company was “reckless” in its use of the technology for surveillance purposes.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has prohibited Rite Aid from using facial recognition technology in its store surveillance for five years due to its violation of a 2010 security order. The FTC’s federal complaint stated that, from 2012 to 2020, the company “deployed artificial intelligence-based facial recognition technology in order to identify customers who may have been engaged in shoplifting or other problematic behavior.“
The agency said Rite Aid “failed to take reasonable measures to prevent harm to consumers“ and falsely accused minority customers of committing crimes.
“Rite Aid’s reckless use of facial surveillance systems left its customers facing humiliation and other harms, and its order violations put consumers’ sensitive information at risk,” said FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Samuel Levine. He added that the order “makes clear that the Commission will be vigilant in protecting the public from unfair biometric surveillance and unfair data security practices.”
The commission said it has put a high priority on preventing the misuse of biometric information and will closely monitor this sector.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Chair Lina Khan to be led by God as she oversees the FTC.
- For wisdom for Director Levine and those in the Consumer Protection Bureau to enforce federal regulations.
- For God’s healing and restoration of those who have been falsely accused of committing a crime.
Sources: Federal Trade Commission, CNN
