Rite Aid has been banned from using facial recognition software after it was found store used it against customers without telling them over the course of several years

Troubled store chain Rite Aid is back in the news once more. According to reports, Rite Aid has been banned by the FTC from using facial recognition software after they previously used it against customers over the course of several years without telling them.

Beginning back in 2012, Rite Aid according to the FTC was found to have used facial recognition software without having notified their customers first.

According to the original complaint, Rite Aid did not inform customers but later would go on to collect their likeness from the software and even collected birthdays for some people. In one instance, the store used the software to target shoplifters (even those who weren’t) primarily targeting people of colour.

The FTC says that the store illegally used the software without notifying customers from 2012 to 2020 and has been banned from using it further for the next five total years.

The Lowdown

In the bizarre case, Rite Aid is accused of using the software that would later send ‘matches’ to employees phones that would allow them to figure out who is who; follow the pictured person, and often wrongfully accuse them of shoplifting.

Rite Aid did not return phone calls for comment on this story.