Facial recognition is widely used across the world in everything from phones to checking in on airplane flights. While it can be used for safety purposes, such as identifying stalkers at popular music concerts, people are raising concerns about its wide use in stores. Shops in New York may be using facial recognition technology to spot and mark shoplifters without any regulation.
When a store that uses facial recognition catches a shoplifter, the image is uploaded and shared with stores across the country. Other stores can then use these images to prevent people from shopping in their store. While this reduces the number of shoplifters and money lost in shoplifted products, critics say that it violates people’s rights. Criminal defense experts say a one-time mistake could lead to a lifetime of no longer being able to shop anywhere.
By the year 2025, facial recognition revenue is expected to reach $10 billion, which is double what it was in 2018. The technology is advancing at a rate faster than lawmakers can manage. Without any limits on facial recognition technology, stores can log customers’ faces without alerting the customers. These logged faces could then be used for a variety of purposes without any limits. Experts are urging lawmakers to step up now and make laws to regulate the technology before it becomes embedded into every part of society.
Shoplifting crimes can result in not only being banned from stores but also being served jail time and fines. When accused of a crime, it’s important to ensure that businesses and the police don’t violate any rights of those who are accused. A criminal defense lawyer may explain the process to those who are detained due to an alleged crime and help ensure that their rights aren’t violated. In this case, a lawyer may be able to help an individual accused of shoplifting reduce the charges if the store security did not act appropriately during the incident.
