At Wegmans, the safety of our customers and employees is a top priority. Like many retailers, we use cameras to help identify individuals who pose a risk to our people, customers, or operation. In a small fraction of our stores located in communities that exhibit an elevated risk, we have deployed cameras equipped with facial recognition technology. In New York City, we comply with local requirements by posting the mandated signage to notify customers about the technology.
This technology is solely used for keeping our stores secure and safe. The system collects facial recognition data and only uses it to identify individuals who have been previously flagged for misconduct. We do not collect other biometric data such as retinal scans or voice prints. Images and video are retained only as long as necessary for security purposes and then disposed of. For security reasons, we do not disclose the exact retention period, but it aligns with industry standards.
Persons of interest are determined by our asset protection team based on incidents occurring on our property and on a case-by-case basis, on information from law enforcement for criminal or missing persons cases. We do not share facial recognition scan data with any third party.
We understand concerns about fairness and bias in facial recognition systems. We employ a multitude of training and safety measures to help keep people safe. Facial recognition technology serves as one investigative lead for us. We never base our decisions on a single lead alone.
Our goal is simple - to keep our stores safe and secure.