Asda, one of the largest retail stores in Britain, has recently been under scrutiny for the presence of cameras at their self-service checkouts. A woman posted a viral video on social media accusing the supermarket of using facial recognition technology that collects customer data and targets them with advertising. Claiming that this violated GDPR, the woman raised concern.
In response, Asda has denied these accusations and confirmed that the cameras merely act as an anti-theft deterrent. Furthermore, the company has also told Full Fact – a fact-checking charity – that the images are not being stored. This comes as a relief to many customers who were concerned about their data being breached.
Asda is a British grocery retail store chain headquartered in Leeds. Founded in 1949, it has over 621 stores and is the second-largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. It operates mainly in the United Kingdom, with a few stores in Hungary, Czech Republic, and Poland. The company also has plans to expand into the US and Europe.
The woman who brought the issue to attention is from the UK and appears anonymous in the video. In her video, she expresses her anger and frustration with the presence of cameras, which she believes will be used to collect customer data and target them with advertising. She also claims that the use of cameras violates GDPR.
However, Asda has now spoken out to clarify the matter and put the customer at ease. They affirmed that the cameras are only present for anti-theft purposes and that no data or images are collected or stored. They went on to explain that the cameras cannot collect, store, or compare images of “recognised” faces.
Asda’s statement has not only provided customers with peace of mind, but also has highlighted their commitment to customer privacy and data protection. This is a great example of a company taking care of their customers and a reminder that we need to be aware of our data privacy in the digital world.
