Well, it turns out Rite Aid officials have been secretly using facial recognition systems in a number of their stores...
A report published Tuesday by Reuters claims the drug store chain began using the controversial technology in stores located in low-income areas, about eight years ago. Although a Reuters investigation found the technology had links to the Chinese government, it found no evidence that data was being shared with the country.
Photo: Getty Images
Rite Aid officials on Tuesday said they've stopped using the systems, but insist the move had nothing to do with the Reuters investigation.
“If it goes back to China, there are no rules,” said James Lewis, the Technology Policy Program director at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
But thankfully, Reuters found no evidence that the data was sent to China.
"This decision was in part based on a larger industry conversation,” a statement released by Rite Aid reads. "Other large technology companies seem to be scaling back or rethinking their efforts around facial recognition given increasing uncertainty around the technology’s utility."
Check out the full investigation on Reuters.