Sainsbury's is preparing to trial "Orwellian" facial recognition technology to tackle the rising shoplifting epidemic across Britain.
Ahead of a nationwide rollout, the technology will be trialled for eight weeks in two branches: Sydenham superstore and Bath Oldfield Sainsbury’s Local store.
The British retailer has said that the move is part of a bid to identify shoplifters and hit increasing retail crime statistics on the head.
The tool is to help store staff ban customers who are "violent, aggressive or steal in the store", the trailer’s chief executive Simon Roberts told Metro, adding that data will be deleted if the systems fails to recognise the individual.
Police forces witnessed the highest number of shoplifting offences across England and Wales last year
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Last year, police forces witnessed the highest number of shoplifting offences recorded across England and Wales, jumping to half a million offences.
If the trial run of the new system results in success, the technology will be rolled out across all 1,400 stores.
However, the controversial move has been slammed for "turning shoppers into suspects", while campaigners have warned about the "devastating consequences for people's lives".
Senior advocacy officer at Big Brother Watch Madeleine Stone fumed: "Sainsbury’s decision to trial Orwellian facial recognition technology in its shops is deeply disproportionate and chilling.
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"Facial recognition surveillance turns shoppers into suspects, with devastating consequences for people’s lives when it inevitably makes mistakes. Facial recognition is dangerously out of control in the UK."
Often assisted by artificial intelligence, facial recognition maps, assesses and confirms an individual’s identity in a photo or video.
“Sainsbury’s should abandon this trial and the Government must urgently step in to prevent the unchecked spread of this invasive technology,” Ms White demanded.
The campaigners have expressed concerns, claiming that they have heard from “innocent people” who were wrongly accused of crimes they did not commit.
Sainsbury's chief executive said the retail sector was 'at a crossroads'
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Declaring that "we must put safety first", Mr Roberts added that his sector was "at a crossroads, facing rising abuse, anti-social behaviour and violence".
The British Retail Consortium reported that violence and abuse against shop staff jumped to 1,300 incidents each day last year.
Crime and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson added: "Retail crime causes significant harm to shop workers, businesses and communities, threatening livelihoods and eroding public confidence.
"That's why we're working with businesses like Sainsbury's to tackle this issue head-on."