Grocery stores are starting to deploy a new system called SAFR Guard, it’s a facial recognition software
Here’s how it works
- A camera captures your face when you enter the store
- It then turns your photo into a biometric map
- It checks it against a private watchlist for people designated subjects of interest
“People are placed on the watchlist based on incident reports and photos submitted directly by retail store staff. If you're on it, an alert fires the moment you walk in, and for serious incidents like violence or high-dollar theft, that flag follows you to other participating stores. participating stores in the area”
“SAFR Guard says the scan is deleted in 1 second if a match isn't found, but their own privacy policy says their image and the store's footage sit for 30 days”
This has been rolled out in the San Francisco Bay Area but I’ve found this same technology has already been expanded into multiple states and is being used right now
California has widespread experimentation in the Bay Area and beyond. Other chains test similar tech
Washington has confirmed use in independent grocers like Fiesta Foods and Grocery Outlet stores like Puyallup
New York has it at Wegmans and others use facial and biometric systems in some stores
Big chains like Albertsons, Lowe’s, Macy’s have also used facial recognition in various location