Syracuse, NY — Wegmans is in at the center of a privacy controversy after signs were posted at their New York locations warning customers that biometric data was being collected in stores.
The brands warn customers that Wegmans “collects, stores, transfers or shares customer biometric identifier information, which may include: facial recognition, eye scans or voice prints.
He asked syracuse.com | Wegmans did not directly respond to a question about whether the Post-Standard is using the technology in Central New York stores.
Tracy Van Auker, a spokeswoman for Wegmans, said in a statement Monday that the grocery chain uses cameras equipped with facial recognition in “a small portion of stores that show increased risk.”
News of Wegmans’ use of the technology in New York stores has surfaced in the metro area media over the past two days.
Shoppers said a New York City media outlet they would consider shopping elsewhere. Others told the outlet they were concerned the data could potentially be shared with ICE.
Auker said the technology is used solely to keep stores “safe and secure.”
“The system collects facial recognition data and only uses it to identify people who have previously been flagged for inappropriate behavior,” she said.
Those “persons of interest” are determined by security personnel and law enforcement agencies on a case-by-case basis for criminal or missing persons cases, Auker said.
The data is stored “as long as necessary for security reasons” before it is disposed of, Auker said. She did not reveal how long the data is stored.
The data is not shared with any third party, she said.
Wegmans’ privacy policy states that biometric data is available to “a limited number of Wegmans employees, third-party service providers and/or law enforcement, all of whom may assist with security-related tasks as they arise.”
The policy states that third-party providers have access to security data only when it is “strictly required to perform their work”.
According to the policy, data is not shared, rented or exchanged for profit.
Auker said the stores do not collect other biometric data, such as retina scans or voice prints, as the New York City signs indicate.
ON New York City Lawwhich went into effect in 2021, requires businesses to disclose whether they collect this data. It is also illegal for these businesses to sell, rent, trade or profit from the exchange of this data with a third party.
Auker said the company does not disclose the specific security measures used in each story for security reasons.
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