S.T.O.P. Welcomes Rite Aid, FTC Settlement, Renews Call For Facial Recognition Ban

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Welcomes Rite Aid, FTC Settlement, Renews Call For Facial Recognition Ban (New York, NY 12/20/23) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, welcomed a landmark Federal Trade Commission settlement with Rite Aid, barring the national pharmacy chain from deploying facial recognition for five years. The FTC found Rite Aid’s facial recognition systematically misidentified customers as shoplifters, including an 11-year-old girl. S.T.O.P. welcomed the FTC settlement and renewed its call on the New York City Council to ban facial recognition and other biometric surveillance in public accommodations. SEE: The Washington Post - Rite Aid used facial recognition on shoppers, fueling harassment, FTC says https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/19/ftc-rite-aid-facial-recognition/ "Facial Recognition in stores is racial profiling, full stop," said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. "It’s illegal when stores’ human staff discriminate against customers, and it should be just as illegal when AI does the same thing. Individual enforcement efforts like the FTC’s are crucial, but they are no substitute for a complete ban on this technology. As long as facial recognition remains legal, customers will be wrongly profiled and arrested." In September, 32 civil rights groups, led by S.T.O.P., submitted a memo of support demanding the New York City Council pass two pending bills banning facial recognition and other biometric technologies in residential buildings and public accommodations, such as stores and arenas. The Ban The Scan and Privacy New York coalitions worked for more than two years to bring forward the legislation, which was finally introduced in the City Council in April this year. SEE: Press Release - 32 Civil Rights Groups Demand NYC Council Ban Facial Recognition https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/9/26/32-civil-rights-groups-demand-nyc-council-ban-facial-recognition The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.