Thousands of shoppers complain after Asda makes huge change to stores in bid to track customers & target thieves

Scottish Sun

23-04-2025

It has raised concerns about privacy and data
SHOP WATCH Thousands of shoppers complain after Asda makes huge change to stores in bid to track customers & target thieves
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ASDA has received thousands of complaints over a tech trial which people have dubbed as "Orwellian".
The stores' new live facial recognition technology has had more than 5,000 complaints, the Grocer reports.
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The technology has been provided by Faice Tech and will be integrated into existing CCTV networks
Credit: Getty
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Asda will assess the results of the trial before deciding whether to extend or roll it out at more locations
Credit: Reuters
It comes after the use of the technology was implemented at five branches in Greater Manchester at the end of last month.
With aims of tackling retail crime, Asda introduced the two-month tech trial to branches in Ashton, Chadderston, Eastland, Hapurphey and Trafford Park from March 31.
Big Brother Watch, a British privacy campaigning organisation, has labelled the supermarket's use of this technology "deeply disproportionate and chilling".
Senior Advocacy Officer Madeleine Stone said: "Facial recognition surveillance turns shoppers into suspects, by subjecting customers browsing the supermarket aisles to a series of biometric identity checks".
She expressed her concern about the out of control use of the technology in the UK: "[It] has well-documented issues with accuracy and bias, and has already led to distressing and embarrassing cases of innocent shoppers being publicly branded as shoplifters."
Asda stated the trial was a way of improving colleague and customer safety in stores, as well as combating the epidemic or retail crime.
The retailer cited the circa 1,400 assaults on Asda colleagues that were recorded last year, which averaged at four per day.
With the technology, the company can collect images from CCTV of individuals staff suspect to be committing theft, violence or fraud in Asda stores and compare them to a known list of individuals who have previously been involved criminal activity at an Asda site.
If a match is found, the automated system alerts a member of the Asda head office security team who can conduct a check and feedback to the store in seconds.
However, organisations like Big Brother Watch are calling for Asda to abandon the trial and for the government to step in and prevent the "unchecked spread of this invasive technology".
Liz Evans, Chief Commercial Officer Non-food and Retail at Asda, said: 'The rise in shoplifting and threats and violence against shopworkers in recent years is unacceptable and as a responsible retailer we have to look at all options to reduce the number of offences committed in our stores and protect our colleagues.
'We consistently look for new ways to improve the security in our stores and this trial will help us understand if facial recognition technology can reduce the number of incidents and provide greater protection to everybody in our stores.'
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As the technology has raised concerns around privacy and data, Asda has claimed it fully complies with all data protection regulations.
Other stores, like Southern Co-op, also use the facial recognition technology, as UK's cases of shoplifting have been labelled "out of control" by the British Retail Consortium.
A report released in January revealed violence and abuse surged by over 50 per cent in the past year, and a whopping 340 per cent since 2020.
Levels are now at over 2,000 incidents each day with the total £2.2 billion in losses as a direct result of customer theft.