Compliance lessons from Rite Aid facial recognition case
By 
Adrianne Appel2024-01-04T20:11:00
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was clear in its recent enforcement action against Rite Aid regarding its expectations for companies using facial recognition technology or any biometric security or surveillance systems.
The FTC filed a complaint against Rite Aid on Dec. 19, alleging the retail pharmacy chain used untested, inaccurate facial recognition technology to secretly surveil shoppers from 2012-20.
The misused technology resulted in thousands of people being misidentified as shoplifters, with a higher percentage of women, Blacks, Latinos, and Asians wrongly accused. Rite Aid staff sometimes harassed and publicly humiliated innocent shoppers and forced them to leave stores, including those who had wanted to fill necessary prescriptions, the FTC said.
THIS IS MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT
You are not logged in and do not have access to members-only content.
If you are already a registered user or a member, SIGN IN now.
Related articles
-
PremiumEthical compliance for facial recognition technology
The lack of clear regulations and guidelines for the ethical use of facial recognition technology further exacerbates concerns of discriminatory practices and potential infringements on human rights.
-
News BriefRite Aid gets 5-year facial recognition use ban from FTC
Retail pharmacy chain Rite Aid agreed to a five-year ban on its use of facial recognition technology for surveillance purposes as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
-
News BriefFTC warns businesses to risk assess uses of biometric technologies
Businesses that make false or unsubstantiated claims regarding facial recognition and other biometric technologies could face enforcement from the Federal Trade Commission, the agency warned in a policy statement.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
News BriefFTC sues Uber over deceptive subscriptions, a rare move for consumers by Trump officials
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Uber, alleging the ride-hailing company signed customers up for its Uber One subscription without consent, then made it hard for them to cancel. The move marks the U.S. government’s latest broadside against big tech companies, and the first major action from ...
-
News BriefCFPB pullback signals further shift toward industry-friendly regulation
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to unravel amid pressure from Trump administration officials to shutter the agency. Not only has the agency informed its employees that it will no longer be a watchdog for the financial services industry, it has also laid off employees despite court orders blocking ...
-
News BriefTrump’s CFPB, dismissing Comerica case, continues to cut down Biden-era lawsuits
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped yet another consumer protection lawsuit against a bank or fintech provider since Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January. This time, it was with Comerica Bank.