Amazon Go accused of illegal biometric surveillance

Cashless Amazon Go stores were accused of violating New York City’s biometrics disclosure rules.

The law was enacted in 2021. Under the statute, establishments that record visitors’ biometric data must display conspicuous notices.

In a class-action lawsuit against the tech giant, it is alleged that the Amazon Go store on Pine Street lacked a conspicuous sign in compliance with the law. The plaintiff, Rodriguez Perez, claims that on February 7, 2023, he sent a letter to the company noting the lack of disclosure.

He says Amazon representatives did not reply, and the sign appeared in the store not immediately.

A representative of the tech giant refuted the allegations. According to him, the company does not use facial recognition in stores. Instead, Amazon identifies visitors by their palm.

“Users are provided with the appropriate privacy disclosures during enrollment. The customer always controls palm-based authentication,” the company said.

Amazon opened its first cashless store in New York in 2019. Shoppers can grab any items from the shelves and walk out, bypassing the checkout.

The company says it uses computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion to track “virtual carts” for shoppers. The system can account for the number of items taken and can remove items that a shopper returns to the shelf.

Customers can enter the store by scanning a QR code in the app, using a credit card, or by hovering their palm over a sensor.

The lawsuit alleges that Amazon continues to collect biometric information about shoppers. The company tracks people based on body shape and analyzes their movements until they leave the store, the statement says.

Perez also claims that the sign is misleading. It states that the store will not record biometric data if customers do not use the palm scanner.

However, according to the plaintiff, Amazon Go still collects this information.

Under the law, violators have 30 days after a complaint is filed to comply with the requirements. Otherwise they may face fines and lawsuits.

If found in violation, they could be required to pay up to $5,000 for each proven instance.

Perez seeks a jury trial and damages for himself and “other customers whose rights were violated.”

Rodriguez Perez v Amazon by ForkLog AI on Scribd

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Earlier in June 2022, Google was fined $100 million for violating biometric privacy laws in Illinois (U.S.).

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