Be cautious if you enter.
New notices at some Wegmans locations in New York City alert shoppers that they’re collecting biometric data, including facial recognition scans, during their visits.
These warnings will appear in Wegmans stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan this month. They are intended to enhance the “safety and security of our customers and employees,” as the grocery chain explains.
“Wegmans captures, keeps, alters, stores, or shares customers’ biometric data, which includes facial recognition, eye scans, and voiceprints,” the signs indicate.
This type of data can identify you.
The Rochester-based company began collecting data during a pilot program in 2024, at which point they assured patrons that their information wouldn’t be stored.
However, the new signs at their locations don’t offer that same guarantee, merely stating they won’t “transfer, buy, sell, or otherwise profit from biometric information.”
A Wegmans spokesperson commented that this technology is employed in “a small number of high-risk stores.”
“Customer and employee safety is our highest concern. Similar to other retailers, we utilize surveillance cameras to identify individuals who might pose a risk,” the representative said.
“This system gathers facial recognition data solely to identify those who have been previously flagged for misconduct.”
Currently, only facial recognition data is collected at Wegmans. They retain images and videos “as long as necessary for security purposes” before deleting them, though they haven’t specified the exact duration.
Other retailers in the area, including Fairway Market, Westside Market, and Walgreens, have already adopted similar biometric data collection methods.
A New York City law took effect in 2021, requiring stores to display clear notices about biometric data collection. However, enforcement has limitations.
A City Council Bill introduced in 2023 by Member Shahana Hanif aimed to prohibit biometric data collection entirely, but it did not pass.
In the same year, Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan faced backlash for using facial recognition technology to exclude a lawyer and critics from his venues.
“Since deliberations on this bill began last session, many incidents — including false arrests and breaches — underscore the urgency of its passage,” Hanif noted in 2024.
She highlighted findings from the Federal Trade Commission regarding how Rite Aid’s facial recognition technology misidentified many people, particularly women and people of color, as potential shoplifters.
Wegmans stated that “persons of interest” are determined based on incidents reported by law enforcement related to criminal activities and missing persons.
The spokesperson acknowledged concerns about fairness and bias within facial recognition, assuring that training and safety measures are in place to address these concerns.
“This technology acts as one investigative tool for us,” the official noted. “We don’t rely solely on one lead for decision-making.”
