Jacksons Food Stores facial recognition

Occurred: December 2022

Can you improve this page?
Share your insights with us

Jacksons Food Stores is being sued (pdf) by two people for allegedly violating Portland, Oregon, rules governing the use of facial recognition in places of 'public accommodation'. 

The lawsuit also argues that although Jacksons is using the software to assist in the identification and prosecution of shoplifters, it can wrongly identify people as criminals, and that those errors 'disproportionately affect women and people of color.' 

The suit also claimed the identity verification process is mandatory, and that customers may not enter the store unless they let the software scan them. 

Reports said Jacksons has been using Blue Line Technology’s First Line software, which takes pictures of people as they approach a Jacksons store and then uses an algorithm to determine whether the face recorded by the camera matches a face on a database held by Jacksons.

Databank

Operator: Jacksons Food Stores
Developer: Blue Line Technology; Dell; Axis

Country: USA

Sector: Retail

Purpose: Detect criminals

Technology: Facial recognition
Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Bias/discrimination - race, ethnicity; Privacy

Transparency: Marketing