Sainsbury’s 'dangerous' facial recognition is back, months after ejecting an innocent shopper — and there’s no way to opt out

This week, I tried to opt out of the facial recognition system at my local Sainsbury’s supermarket.

The only solution? Shop elsewhere.

Judging by the look on the security guard’s face when I asked if I could avoid having my biometric data processed, it was an unusual request — surprising, given that an innocent customer was mistakenly flagged and ejected from the exact same store just a few months ago.

Sainsbury’s is far from alone in using live facial recognition technology.

Facewatch, the company behind the tech, also lists Sports Direct, Budgens, Costcutter, and B&M as customers on its website .

Meanwhile, an increasing number of police forces across the UK are adopting the technology, despite persistent legal challenges.

With facial recognition rapidly becoming a staple of the high street across the UK, what risks does it pose to our privacy, and is improved supermarket security really worth it? Supermarket surveillance: scanned before you shop One of the most important principles of any modern data privacy law — including the UK GDPR — is the right to be informed when an organization collects and processes your personal data.

It’s why you constantly encounter cookie banners on websites and why app privacy policies often run thousands of words long.

At the supermarket entrance, however, the notice isn't asking for permission; it's informing customers that the scan is underway.

Because retailers claim tracking crime is a "legitimate interest", they bypass the need for customer consent.

When I visited the East Dulwich Sainsbury’s store, there was a small sign next to the sliding glass doors that I initially missed, and a larger board positioned inside.

While the notices reassure shoppers that "your privacy is protected", they offer very little substantive detail. (Image credit: Future) To access the full information, you have to scan a QR code leading to Facewatch’s privacy policy — something I could only do because I happened to have a charged smartphone with mobile data, facilities not everyone will have when popping out for milk.

To his credit, the security guard offered to find the store manager to answer any additional questions.

But, by then, the point felt moot.