When Ian Clayton, a retired health and safety professional from Chester, visited a Home Bargains store one February lunchtime, a stern-looking staff member approached him. "Excuse me, can you please put everything down and leave the shop now?" she said. Clayton recalled his shock as he was escorted past the tills. When he asked why, he was told: "You've come up on our system called Facewatch as a shoplifter. There's a poster in the window." He was left outside alone with a QR code and no explanation.
Clayton is among several people who spoke to the Guardian after being falsely identified as thieves by Facewatch, a live facial recognition system used by UK retailers such as B&M, Home Bargains, Sports Direct, Farm Foods, and Spar. The company claims a 99.98% accuracy rate, sending 50,288 alerts of "known offenders" last month. However, those wrongly accused say they received no support or clear complaints process.
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Clayton, 67, tried calling a phone number on a Facewatch poster but was directed to email. Only after submitting a subject access request under data protection laws did he learn he was incorrectly linked to a previous shoplifting incident. "It was like I was guilty until proven innocent. It's an awful feeling," he said. Home Bargains offered a £100 voucher and apology on condition of confidentiality, which he declined. "You're trying to buy my silence?" he said.
Civil Rights Concerns
Warren Rajah, a data strategist in south London, was asked to leave a Sainsbury's store in February after being flagged by Facewatch. "This is a civil rights issue," he said. "We know cameras cannot pick up features of people with darker features with as much accuracy." He found he was not on the database but was misidentified by staff. Sainsbury's offered a £75 voucher, which he declined due to discomfort returning.
Jennie Sanders, 48, from Birmingham, was escorted out of B&M after being flagged. "I was really upset. It was in front of loads of people," she said. She learned she was on the system for allegedly stealing a bottle of wine, which she denies. B&M offered a £25 voucher after saying CCTV evidence was unavailable. "I'm never going into B&M again," she said.
Oversight Lagging Behind Technology
UK biometrics commissioners warn that national oversight is falling behind the rapid expansion of facial recognition. The Home Office admitted the technology is more likely to misidentify black and Asian people and women. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says it continues to regulate, but complainants report delays and lack of response. Sanders waited seven months for a reply after complaining to the ICO.
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "This was not an issue with the facial recognition technology but a case of the wrong person being approached. The Facewatch system has a 99.98% accuracy rate." Nick Fisher, CEO of Facewatch, said: "These cases relate to human error, not technology failure. We are sorry these individuals experienced being challenged." Home Bargains and B&M declined to comment.
