Following a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, troubled pharmacy chain Rite Aid is banned from using facial recognition technology in its stores for the next five years.
According to a complaint against the company, Rite Aid used artificial intelligence-based tech to identify people “deemed likely to engage in shoplifting or other criminal behavior” that unfairly targeted people of color.
The tech also purportedly pointed employees toward targeting customers falsely identified as shoplifters, leading to wrongful detentions in some cases.
In a statement, Rite Aid said “we fundamentally disagree with the facial recognition allegations in the agency’s complaint” while noting it was “pleased” to settle with the FTC.
