A mother was wrongly accused of being a thief in a Sports Direct store after facial recognition cameras flagged her as a shoplifter. Anamaria Mihai, 48, had taken her daughter shopping at the Woolwich branch in April when staff began following her. The manager shouted, 'Yes, because you are a thief,' after she joked about being followed. Mihai said she felt humiliated and cried, quickly paying for items and leaving.
The store relied on the Facewatch recognition system, which claimed she had stolen a pair of shoes nearly a year earlier—something she denies. Facewatch is used by retailers including Sainsbury's, River Island, and Home Bargains, boasting 99.98% accuracy. However, this is not the first mistaken accusation; in February, Sainsbury's shopper Warren Rajah was wrongly escorted out.
Mihai's case is the first reported of someone being erroneously placed on the system. She had to prove her innocence by providing her passport and submitting a subject access request. Facewatch sent a photo of her leaving the same store in August, when she had bought over £80 worth of goods in cash. She explained that staff had mistaken her discarding old Pumas for theft. After showing texts and receipts, she was removed from the system. Sports Direct sent a £30 voucher as apology, but she says she will never return.
Privacy Concerns Raised
Jasleen Chaggar of Big Brother Watch called the situation 'Kafkaesque,' noting that people are forced to hand over personal data just to learn the accusation. Facewatch's Eric Woollard-White said the matter was reviewed and data removed, emphasizing that identity verification is legally required under UK data protection law.
The incident highlights growing concerns over facial recognition technology and its potential for false accusations, leaving innocent individuals to prove their innocence rather than the system proving guilt.
