Borders UK and privacy

[Allan Hunt-Badiner]

BORDERS U.K. USES FACE-RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY TO MONITOR CUSTOMERS
Borders Books in the U.K. is employing SmartFace technology to compare
the "unique digital face-maps" of customers against similar face-maps of
known shoplifters. Privacy advocates such as the director of the
Scottish Human Rights Centre are outraged by the development: "I can see
why they don't want shoplifters in their store, but I would question
whether this is proportionate to what they are trying to do. We are
talking about having a bank of pictures of everyone going into the shop
-- I would consider that a serious breach of privacy. There is no
control over what they do with those pictures, or how they are kept --
are they safe? Nor is there much control over whether Borders could sell
the information on, or whether people will actually know this is
happening." (Sunday Herald 26 Aug 2001)
http://www.sundayherald.com/18007