Convenience store spy cameras face legal challenge

Gosh Twink, the very thought of that gives me the creeps! It did happen a few times when I was in retail and it didn’t feel very flattering at all! :frowning_face:

By gum butterscotch, I could have some fun with those…
:face_with_hand_over_mouth: :nerd_face:

The cameras are only doing what security guards have been doing for decades - only using technology is probably cheaper than paying the wages of staff to scrutinise customers as they come into your store and walk around it.

In the hospital where I volunteer, the office of the security guards is in a building near the entrance to the hospital grounds.
When they are not patrolling the grounds and inside the hospital buildings, they are sitting in their office watching people come and go, and keeping an eye on the CCTV camera screens.
You wont know they are watching you as you walk past their building because you can see out of their office windows but you can’t see in.

I’ve been working there for over 40 years and I know they’ve been doing the equivalent of what the new face recognition cameras is doing now - those guys never forget a troublemaker and when they see someone walk past their office who has been caught stealing or vandalising or causing trouble in the hospital in the past, they are onto them straightaway, tracking them on the cameras and going out to follow them and see what they are up to.

I expect security guards in retail shops do the same - scrutinise the incoming customers to look for known shoplifters - we are being screened by cameras and people all the time.

I find using the facial recognition camera techniques less creepy than the the thought of another human being checking up on me, to be honest - at least the computer can’t make human judgements about me! :wink:

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Unless the software identifies certain facial features as typical of people who are a bit dodgy! :rofl:

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It’s just a shame that society has come to this…Where we all need to be monitored… :009:

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Hi

OGF has a point.

When I was a Trainee we had some lethal knives in the boot of the car, travelling to and from work in the slaughterhouses, along with white coats, wellies, hats etc.

No great shakes when you where stopped in the early hours , speeding, trying not to be late.

A completely different thing to being stopped with some lethal knives in the car when you were togged up for the Disco.

Times have changed, life is much more difficult now.

Knives where for work, not stabbing random people.

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Yes, its the constant monitoring of everyone, whether or not its justified. It bothers me lots…I think as well because of the amount of filming which goes on for Youtube, Instagram, TikTok. Is privacy a thing of the past or what? :woman_shrugging:

Hi

Pixie, please do not get stressed about it, that is not the object of the exercise.

TikTok etc is a joke, a simple annoyance for others who want to be noticed.

So is Instragram etc.

Others are monitored 24/7, including Private Messages and so called secure messages.

Governments are not complete Idiots, they record everything and look at it if it has key words etc.

This is done by Bots, only looked at by a human if essential.

99.96 % does not trigger anything at all., the 0.04 % is still a vast number, but manageable.

The powers that be are after a very small number of very specific warning tags.

The 0.04 % is looked at intensely.,sin problem not a cool great treat out.

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its funny how so many feel that deprivation of liberty is acceptable if it is presented in a certain way. Just goes to show how easy it is to bulldoze ideals. How many died in WWII to protect our liberties?

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I’m all for this type of surveillance if it leads to convictions down the line because shop “shrinkage” (aka shoplifting) costs the UK economy about £5.5Bn/yr (2019 figures) or £73/yr/head of population (2019). This is where I got these numbers from:

https://www.retailresearch.org/crime-costs-uk.html

It’s damned scary just how much is nicked from shops every day.

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I totally agree. If someone wants to see me pick up a loaf of bread or some bog rolls who cares?

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I worked in retail and witnessed much shoplifting, very clever , smart dressed women and men , one bloke went into cubicle and tried putting 3 expensive jumpers on and his old coat , until I shouted and opened cubicle , he just laughed , took them off , handed them to me and ran out
Not all shop lifters wear hoodies

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This is true! (about the well dressed-ness of the shop lifters)

When i worked in retail, we were told that if it was less than £45 worth, not to pursue it with police and prosecution because it wasn’t worth it. So of course word got around about that and we had every TD&H coming in to swipe stuff :roll_eyes:

It is is not the watching you that is the problem it is the fact that they are building a database about you as an individual every time you go shopping.

CCTV and the use of face recognition software are different things.

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The main goal of the first CCTV cameras was only to take successive photos when motion was detected.

Today, CCTV or video surveillance systems are not only about security.

Modern CCTV technologies are vested with advanced analytics software and have an advanced option for face recognition software that helps companies bring new business opportunities.

So face recognition is a great complement to the traditional CCTV systems.

Previously, you needed to look through videos manually in order to find the necessary information. Now face recognition systems can automate this task.

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This TV programme “Shoplifters & Scammers: At War With The Law” was on 5Star at midday today. Interesting viewing and worth watching considering it covers most of what we’ve been discussing in this thread (including Pixie’s face recognition cameras).

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Oh…I wonder if I could catch up with it…I’d like to see what they make of it. :+1:

Try:

https://www.channel5.com/show/shoplifters-scammers-at-war-with-the-law

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Oooh thanks Omah! I’ll watch that after dinner! :+1:

@Percy_Vere I just watched this! Very interesting…I’ll be watching the rest of the episodes. It seems the shoplifters have upped their game since I was in retail - although the “skirt bag” is a tactic I’m familiar with. Also distraction…many families would send in their kids to cause mayhem with food and drink, and while we were busy cleaning up and shooing them out, the parents would come in and steal what they could in that time.