24 major U.S. retailers added to the list that’s tracking stores using facial recognition on customers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, August 5
Contact: Caitlin Seeley George, caitlin@fightforthefuture.org

**Amid rising public pressure, groups expanded the scorecard tracking some of the major retailers’ use of the technology.**

Campaign organizers updated the Ban Facial Recognition in Stores scorecard with more of the largest retailers in the U.S. This list now includes 53 stores total, including 32 that might be using facial recognition, and 17 that have confirmed they do not.

“Thousands of people are demanding that stores reject facial recognition, and the retailers are feeling the pressure,” said Caitlin Seeley George (she/her), campaign director at Fight for the Future. “None of these companies want to feel the backlash that comes from using this surveillance technology on shoppers and workers. We’re continuing to mobilize people to contact the new stores on the list and make sure they get the message.”

Bed Bath & Beyond, Dillards, Nordstrom, and Staples are among the retailers that have not clarified their use of the technology.

The new stores rejecting facial recognition include Gap Inc., Rei Co-op, Petco, Petsmart, Sonos, and Burlington.

Meanwhile, Macy’s doubled down on its position, contacting Fight for the Future to further confirm that it does use facial recognition, and would not commit to ending its use of the surveillance technology.

A disturbing example of the harmful impacts of businesses using facial recognition occurred recently when a 14 year old Black teen was misidentified by facial recognition at a Detroit area roller rink and thrown out.

See the full list of retailers and whether or not they use facial recognition in their stores here.

The full list of organizations signed on to the Ban Facial Recognition in Stores campaign are: 18 Million Rising, Access Now, Action Center on Race and the Economy, Consumer Federation of America, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Data for Black Lives, Demand Progress, Encode Justice, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Fairplay, Fight for the Future, Free Press, Jewish Voice for Peace, Jobs with Justice, Just Futures Law, Kairos Action, Lucy Parsons Labs, Mijente, Muslim Justice League, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Immigration Law Center, National Lawyers Guild, Oakland Privacy, Open Media, PDX Privacy, Popular Resistance, Presente.org, Public Citizen, Raices Texas, Restore the Fourth, Roots Action, Secure Justice, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), The Tor Project, United for Respect, X-Lab.
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