Shopper put on facial recognition list after row over 39p tablets

A London woman has made a data complaint after discovering she had been put on a facial recognition camera watchlist at a Home Bargains store after a dispute over 39p worth of paracetamol.

- Daniel Boffey

She learned of her entry on a database of banned customers when a member of staff at the store in Grove Farm retail park, in Chadwell Heath, asked her to leave and directed her attention to a Facewatch sign.

Facewatch is a facial recognition system used by retailers to identify shoplifters by analysing CCTV footage and comparing faces to a private database of known offenders.

It triggers an alert to staff when a match is made by the software. Stores including Asda, Budgens, Sports Direct and Costcutter have used the technology, despite privacy campaigners arguing that the surveillance infringes the rights of shoppers.

The 62-year-old woman, who has lost the confidence to go shopping on her own since the incident, according to her family, has made a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on the grounds that the Data Protection Act requires there to be a "substantial public interest" for the processing of biometric data to be lawful.