Should facial recognition be mandatory for retail outlets?

[vladi]

At present several large retailers such as Co-op, Tesco, Waitrose, John Lewis, and Next use a cloud-based facial recognition system that gives instant alerts to the entry on the premises of known shoplifters. 
Around £19 million incidents of retail theft (some with attacks on staff) occur ever year in the UK amounting in value to £2.6 Billion in value, involving 41,000 known offenders.

Shoplifting adds to the retailer's costs and this is passed on eventually to honest shoppers, isn't there a case for F.R. to become mandatory at all retailers?

[CPR Dave]

Probably will be mandatory once Digital ID comes in. 

 

They can then use the cameras on the tills too to bring all sorts of other useful ancillary controls, such as limiting how much alcohol you buy each week, or monitoring and limiting the carbon footprint of the food you buy (some foods now are already showing the CO2 emissions consumed in producing them).

[ianr]

What mandatory action would then be required of them?

[malumbu]

No, we'd have to be in a police state.  You'd have to get this made law.  Unless it is in Reform's policies.  I'll check.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/live-facial-recognition-technology-to-catch-high-harm-offenders

Not government policy