Sainsbury’s facial recognition error: Customer kicked out after being mistakenly labeled ‘offender’

LONDON: Technology, once thought to be created to be disrupted, has now started to challenge personal identities in ways we never imagined. On Thursday, Warren Rajah, a local customer, was ejected from a store in Elephant and Castle after the store’s facial recognition system made an error.

Data experts have called this incident “Orwellian,” highlighting the implications of such technology and the humans closely watching customers through it. The Elephant and Castle store is one of six locations where Sainsbury’s has implemented facial recognition technology, designed to combat rising violence and theft against staff members.

In response, the store’s staff issued an apology, stating that there were “no incidents or alerts associated with [him]” in their database and referring to the misidentification as a “human error.”

Speaking with BBC, the customer said, “Am I supposed to walk around fearful that I might be misidentified as a criminal?”

Mr Rajah questioned how “mentally debilitating” such public humiliation could be for someone in a fragile state, as he was particularly troubled by the potential impact on vulnerable shoppers.

The retail company said it would train its officials to avoid any concerns like this in the future.

What happened is now in the past, but future customers must be treated with full respect, which can only be achieved through the thoughtful and responsible use of technology. Even advanced technology must be implemented in a way that earns the trust of customers.