Erie County in New York has put its foot down when it comes to biometric data collection—county lawmakers have passed a law that prevents retailers from snapping up customer data using facial recognition technology.
This means popular grocery chain Wegmans can’t continue to use its facial recognition tech, which the retailer previously had said was used solely for its stores’ security and safety. “The data is not, and will not, be used for any other purpose,” the chain said in an earlier statement. “The system collects facial recognition data and only uses it to identify individuals who have previously been flagged for misconduct.”
The statement went on to say Wegmans does “not collect information like retinal scans or voice prints” and only retains facial recognition “as long as necessary for security purposes,” declining to “disclose the exact retention period, but it aligns with industry standards.”…