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R-0138 · registry record · verified 2026-10-10

Facewatch flags a shopper as a shoplifter in error

Facial recognition misidentification of ex-police officer as shoplifter, Facewatch system, Budgens, United Kingdom, 2026

Where
United Kingdom
System
Facewatch
Type of system
Face recognition (AI)
Used by
Budgens
Domain
Other
Who was affected
Individuals
People affected
1
People named
Not identified
Brought to light by
Journalism, 2026-03-05
Remedy
Unknown

Summary

A former police officer was wrongly identified as a shoplifter by facial recognition technology provided by Facewatch and deployed by Budgens in the United Kingdom. She was asked to leave the store. Big Brother Watch criticised the lack of any appeals process and the opacity of the algorithmic flagging. The case was reported by the Financial Times in March 2026.

Sources

  1. Financial Times – Ex-police officer wrongly flagged as a shoplifter in shop using facial recognitionBig Brother Watch · Originating report
  2. Financial Times — Ex-police officer wrongly flagged as a shoplifter in shop using facial recognition (2026)Financial Times
  3. AI Incident Database — report 3886AI Incident Database

Tags

Record

First collected
2026-04-14
Last verified
2026-10-10
Verified by
Checked by the author against the sources

Cite this record

The Witnessed Sentence (2026). R-0138: Facewatch flags a shopper as a shoplifter in error. Registry record, verified 2026-10-10. https://witnessedsentence.org/registry/r-0138/

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