Most people are aware that there are no expectations of privacy online. But a lawsuit is accusing home improvement stores Lowe’s and Home Depot of scanning customers faces without permission.
According to the Cook County Record, Home Depot and Lowe’s are accused of secretly using facial recognition technology to identify customers (and their children) as soon as they enter their stores.
Two recent class action lawsuits accused the home improvement stores of scanning customers faces when they enter the store.
The plaintiffs accused the stores of violating the Illinois state law by “surreptitiously” scanning customers’ faces as they moved about the chains’ stores.
The lawsuit accuses Lowe’s and Home Depot of failing to inform customers that their biometric data is being collected, or obtaining written consent for snapping their photos from different angles and uploading the photos to their databases.
Most people agree to have their photos taken for a driver’s license or government ID. But no consent is obtained for photos when consumers are out shopping with their families, who don’t give permission for stores to scan their children’s faces.
Facial recognition technology, also known as face printing, is already in use at major police departments and government agencies for the purpose of catching fugitive in crowds, such as at concerts and sporting events.
