– Rite Aid, a U.S. drugstore giant, has been prohibited from using facial recognition technology for five years by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
– The FTC took this action after discovering that Rite Aid’s “reckless use” of these systems risked people’s sensitive information and caused public humiliation.
– This order is currently pending approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

A Slap on the Wrist for Rite Aid from the FTC

Facial Recognition Tech Trips Over Privacy Concerns

FTC Frowns on Rite Aid’s Recklessness

“In today’s episode of ‘When Tech Goes Wrong’, we find drugstore giant Rite Aid nursing a five-year timeout from its favorite toy – facial recognition software. The Federal Trade Commission issued a ‘go sit in a corner and think about what you did’, after reviewing Rite Aid’s loosey-goosey approach to customer’s sensitive data.

Now we all know that giant corporations love playing fast and loose with our personal information, but Rite Aid took it to another level, leaving their customers red-faced (pun intended). Talk about a privacy blush-rush!

But wait for it, the FT-say-what-now (FTC) isn’t the only one with a bone to pick with Rite Aid. Their punishment is up in the air, awaiting approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Let’s see if the court decides to ‘face’ up to the issue or ‘recognize’ a lesser punishment. Whichever way it goes, let’s hope Rite Aid ‘checks-out’ their actions carefully next time – for their customers’ sake and their own ‘rite’

Original article: https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/20/rite-aid-facial-recognition/