Techie tool targets under-age drinkers
- added May 14, 2008
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- greenfly5
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The supermarket chain Budgens has installed face recognition cameras in one of its stores to stop children buying alcohol and cigarettes.
It is thought to be the first time a UK retailer has used the technology to identify underage customers.
The scheme is being piloted at an unnamed branch of Budgens in London.
If the system recognises someone who has previously been unable to prove they are 18, a signal alerts the cashier who will refuse to serve them.
Facial recognition software makes a unique template of an individual's features by taking measurements between key points on the face.
Three cameras have been installed at the pilot branch, one in each checkout lane.
The cameras monitor customers as they approach the tills, transmitting the pictures to a control centre in Worcester.
The customers' facial features are automatically scanned against a database of images of young people who have visited the store before.
Anyone who has been refused alcohol or cigarettes on a previous occasion will be flagged up.
The system also identifies when a customer has previously verified that they are 18 or over, enabling the sale to proceed more quickly.
Young customers who are not recognised by the system will be asked by the cashier to provide proof of their age when buying drink or cigarettes.
Their details will then be added to the database.
Charlie Willetts, managing director of Charton Ltd, which is supplying the software, said about 1,500 images were currently stored on computer, but it had the capacity for almost two million.
Underage drinkers
The system should make it easier for shop staff to spot underage drinkers
He said other supermarkets and convenience stores were interested in linking the scheme to their own shops to create a giant database of customers.
But Mr Willetts said the system had to overcome a number of technical issues first and ensure that it was compliant with data protection laws.
The storage of large amounts of data is also likely to fuel concerns about civil liberties.
Face recognition technology is increasingly used by police and other law enforcement agencies to match CCTV footage of suspects with images of known offenders.
It is also used by some companies to verify the identity of employees.
In the summer, trials will begin at airports to scan the facial details of some passport-holders.
Credit: BBC News
It is thought to be the first time a UK retailer has used the technology to identify underage customers.
The scheme is being piloted at an unnamed branch of Budgens in London.
If the system recognises someone who has previously been unable to prove they are 18, a signal alerts the cashier who will refuse to serve them.
Facial recognition software makes a unique template of an individual's features by taking measurements between key points on the face.
Three cameras have been installed at the pilot branch, one in each checkout lane.
The cameras monitor customers as they approach the tills, transmitting the pictures to a control centre in Worcester.
The customers' facial features are automatically scanned against a database of images of young people who have visited the store before.
Anyone who has been refused alcohol or cigarettes on a previous occasion will be flagged up.
The system also identifies when a customer has previously verified that they are 18 or over, enabling the sale to proceed more quickly.
Young customers who are not recognised by the system will be asked by the cashier to provide proof of their age when buying drink or cigarettes.
Their details will then be added to the database.
Charlie Willetts, managing director of Charton Ltd, which is supplying the software, said about 1,500 images were currently stored on computer, but it had the capacity for almost two million.
Underage drinkers
The system should make it easier for shop staff to spot underage drinkers
He said other supermarkets and convenience stores were interested in linking the scheme to their own shops to create a giant database of customers.
But Mr Willetts said the system had to overcome a number of technical issues first and ensure that it was compliant with data protection laws.
The storage of large amounts of data is also likely to fuel concerns about civil liberties.
Face recognition technology is increasingly used by police and other law enforcement agencies to match CCTV footage of suspects with images of known offenders.
It is also used by some companies to verify the identity of employees.
In the summer, trials will begin at airports to scan the facial details of some passport-holders.
Credit: BBC News
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What's to stop them getting everyone's mugshot?
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george orwell, could you have been more right?
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- poppyshafto
- 4 months ago
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Can anybody say, Minority Report! Will it work if someone comes in with a fake beard or shades?
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Wow. Why would a supermarket be using facial recognition technology for something as petty as underage drinking? This worries me...another way we're all being put on the grid.
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That's sickening. Fuck them. I hate surveillance.
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- ILiveonaClock
- 4 months ago
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I understand the reasoning, but Big Brother still sucks.
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I don't hve a problem with it as long the gov't doesn't get in on it
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whatever . my only interest is in making the line go faster at my local late nite corner store when i'm trying to pick up a few 40's and go home and play Halo . i really couldn't care less about "under-age" anyone - i'm not " under-age" anymore .
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