The Wegmans in Manhattan.
Photo: John Senter/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Wegmans is part of the pantheon of suburban grocery chains that, for one reason or another, command cultish followings. As it turns out, the Rochester-based company also likes following its customers. Gothamist reports that the chain’s two New York City locations are now collecting biometric data on everyone who enters the stores through facial recognition, “voiceprints,” and eye scans. Why? Presumably this will prevent customers from sneaking in to steal any whole bluefin tuna that the Astor Place location gets shipped in for its maguro kaitai ceremonies. A rep for Wegman’s shared a statement, which reads in part:
This technology is solely used for keeping our stores secure and safe. The system collects facial recognition data and only uses it to identify individuals who have been previously flagged for misconduct. We do not collect other biometric data such as retinal scans or voice prints. Images and video are retained only as long as necessary for security purposes and then disposed of. For security reasons, we do not disclose the exact retention period, but it aligns with industry standards.
Persons of interest are determined by our asset protection team based on incidents occurring on our property and on a case-by-case basis, on information from law enforcement for criminal or missing persons cases. We do not share facial recognition scan data with any third party.
Signs affixed to the stores’ front doors — and required by city law — explain that the grocer is using the “technology to protect the safety and security of our patrons and employees.” Some people are concerned about the privacy implications, asking questions like, “What if they share this information with law information?” “What if the information gets hacked or leaked?” “Why has the public been so blasé about the arrival of the digital surveillance state?” But that last group of people probably doesn’t remember that scene in Minority Report in which Tom Cruise is rushing through a mall and the digital-ID tech inundates him with a bevy of targeted advertising. How else would he know, with so much else going on, that he wants a Guinness?
This post has been updated to include the new statement from Wegmans.
