Sainsbury's to trial facial recognition to catch shoplifters

Madeleine Stone, senior advocacy officer at privacy group BigBrotherWatch, said: "Sainsbury's decision to trial Orwellian facial recognition technology in its shops is deeply disproportionate and chilling. "Sainsbury's should abandon this trial and the government must urgently step in to prevent the unchecked spread of this invasive technology." Sainsbury's said incidents of theft, abuse and threatening behaviour "continue to rise" despite working with the police and government, adding that it is "affecting Sainsbury's teams across the UK daily". Mr Roberts, boss of the supermarket chain,added: "We have listened to the deep concerns our colleagues and customers have and they're right to expect us to act. "We understand that facial recognition technology can raise valid questions about data and privacy."