World Jul 10, 2026 · 1 min read

Alarm over launch of facial recognition in UK shops that instantly alerts police

Civil liberties groups say Facewatch system in stores such as Sainsbury’s and B&M is ‘dangerous escalation’Facial recognition technology in shops will soon alert police in real time to the presence of serious offenders, with civil liberties groups warning of a “dangerous escalation” towards surv...

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The Guardian
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent
Alarm over launch of facial recognition in UK shops that instantly alerts police

Civil liberties groups say Facewatch system in stores such as Sainsbury’s and B&M is ‘dangerous escalation’

Facial recognition technology in shops will soon alert police in real time to the presence of serious offenders, with civil liberties groups warning of a “dangerous escalation” towards surveillance and criminalisation in the retail sector.

Facewatch, a facial recognition system used by more than 100 businesses including Sainsbury’s, B&M and Spar to monitor thieves, said it was launching a UK-first feature to “alert police instantly when the most serious offenders trigger a live facial recognition match”.

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This article was originally published by The Guardian and written by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent.

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