Retail bosses are demanding more help from the Information Commissioner’s Office over what they can and cannot do with data to tackle a claimed pandemic in shoplifting.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, UK shopping chiefs are unhappy that they cannot put up pictures of those suspected of shoplifting in their stores, to help fight crime and put off potential criminals.
The move follows claims that police forces up and down the country are ignoring a surge in offences.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, told The Telegraph that stores should be allowed to publish CCTV images of thieves stealing without breaking the law “in light of police inaction” as “we are left to just put up with it”.
She added: “Data protection rules mean that it’s risky for retailers to publish details of suspected offenders, as they may end up committing an offence themselves.”
Dr Hannbeck said the ICO should issue clearer guidance on the rules around releasing images of suspected shoplifters.
In response, the ICO said retailers could share images to prevent or detect crime “as long as it’s necessary and proportionate in the circumstances”.
A spokesman added: “Any retailer that is using or sharing information to prevent or detect crime and aren’t sure how to do this in a compliant way can contact us for advice or find guidance on our website.”
However, the ICO website does not have a dedicated section to the issue, instead it provides information on data sharing and CCTV.
Last summer, Southern Co-op was accused of using “unlawful” facial recognition software in its stores, with claims that the technology was “infringing the data rights of a significant number of UK data subjects”.
The retailer started using facial recognition software developed by UK company Facewatch in 35 stores across Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Bristol, Brighton and Hove, Chichester, Southampton, and London.
The system, designed to protect staff and customers from unacceptable violence and abuse, allows supermarket staff to add individuals to a facial recognition “blacklist”.
But Big Brother Watch claimed shoppers were not informed if their facial biometric was stored or added to the blacklist where it could be kept for up to two years.
Director Silkie Carlo branded the retailer’s use of the facial recognition system as “Orwellian in the extreme” and filed a legal complaint with the ICO against the company.
At the time, she said: “I feel very, very confident that this is not only unlawful but a significant breach of people’s privacy rights and data protection rights and that this precedent-setting is actually really, really important.”
The case has yet to be officially resolved.
Related stories
Co-op slated for ‘unlawful’ facial recognition scheme
Clearview AI gets £7.5m fine; is facial recognition dead?
Clearview AI faces £17m fine for abusing UK data laws
Facial recognition tech slapped down in privacy rulings
Clearview AI whacked with multiple GDPR complaints
