Thread by @BigBrotherWatch

🚨NEWS: Co-op supermarkets @TheSouthernCoop have DOUBLED their live facial recognition cameras.

Face scanners are now in stores across Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Bristol, Brighton & Hove, Chichester, Southampton, West London and West Ewell.

TAKE ACTION ⬇️ bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/campaigns/stop…

Here's what you can do on our campaign page:

1. Use our quick email tool to tell Southern Co-op to drop facial recognition

2. Use our Tweet tool to spread the word

3. Download our leaflet - if your local store is using facial recognition, let people know!

#StopCoopSpying

The @TheSouthernCoop supermarkets using live facial recognition are:

In Portsmouth: Devonshire Sq; New Road; Great Southsea Street; Northern Parade; Twyford Ave; Eastney Road; Fawcett Road; Tangier Road; The Hard; Winter Rd; Copnor Rd; Elm Grove; Tregaron Ave; Drayton Havant Rd

+ Southsea Highland Rd

Waterlooville: Milton Rd

In Southampton: City Gateway; Commercial Rd, Archers Rd

In Bournemouth: Castle Lane; East Howe Lane; Madeira Rd

In Bristol: Church Rd; Two Mile Hill; Ashley Down Rd; Redcliffe Street; Whiteladies Road; North Street, Bedminster

More Co-op supermarkets using live facial recognition are:

In Hove: Western Road; Old Shoreham Road

Portslade: Abinger Road

Chichester: Spitalfield Lane

In London: Orchard Way, Croydon; Uxbridge Rd, Ealing

Surrey: Ruxley Lane, West Ewell

Unmarked facial recognition cameras take biometric scans of customers as they enter the store.

Customers’ faces are automatically scanned against a secret watchlist, compiled by @TheSouthernCoop and private surveillance firm @Facewatch , looking for similarities to CCTV stills.

.@TheSouthernCoop collects still images from in-store CCTV of people that staff allege are involved in theft or “antisocial behaviour” though they may not have been arrested or convicted of any crime. The photos are stored on the facial recognition system for a minimum of 1yr...

.@TheSouthernCoop also uses the facial recognition to enforce a blacklist and can ask customers who set off a facial match alert to leave.

They don't receive photos from, or give photos to, the police. So, is this genuine crime-fighting or intrusive customer data capture? 🤔

We asked @TheSouthernCoop for statistics detailing their number of facial recognition alerts, the accuracy of the matches and the related outcomes such as removals or arrests.

They refused to answer claiming it was “confidential business information”... 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

The Co-op’s growing use of Orwellian facial recognition surveillance abuses customers’ rights and must be urgently stopped.

We strongly recommend that people do their Christmas shopping elsewhere.

#StopCoopSpying

.@TheSouthernCoop is adding customers to secret facial rec watchlists with no due process, meaning people can be blacklisted + denied the opportunity to do food shopping despite being innocent.

This is a deeply unethical & chilling way for a business to behave.

#StopCoopSpying

.@TheSouthernCoop use of live face surveillance raises serious legal concerns and leaves them open to a legal challenge.

If you have been affected, contact us: [e-mail]

bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/campaigns/stop…