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Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

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Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#41

Post by m463 »

theamk wrote: post #11
usbpoet wrote: post #2

What's the purpose of the green square, anyways? Why not just have a regular camera feed?

Increase deterrence effect to scare away shoplifters. Home depot goes out of the way to make its cameras visible. There is a large "camera" sign, bright light to catch your attention, a visible display to show it's not a fake, and sometimes even a motion activated chime. I assume the green square around the face is the next step in a game.

I hate the beeping cameras in the tools aisle and frequently stop browsing and leave

also locked cabinets... cause me to not buy whatever is in them.

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#42

Post by m463 »

delichon wrote: post #3

The green box around his face in the image is evidence that it detected a face, but not that it had collected or stored identifying biometrics. It would be legal for a POS device to detect any face, e.g. to help decide when to reset for the next customer. But as I understand it, this would usually be enough to trigger discovery, where he could learn the necessary technical details. Even if this suit fails, the store…

It still "recognizes a face" and shows this. Legal terms do not have to be scientific or engineering terms.

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#43

Post by lotsoweiners »

RiverCrochet wrote: post #23
bgwalter wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You scan faster than a trained cashier? Do the self-checkouts in the US use RFID? Here in the EU I have to scan, clumsily and slowly.

In the U.S., particularly the Walmarts I've been to, cashiers are usually slower than the self-checkouts now. Their self-checkouts used to be slow because the registers would verify the weight of items on the scale (the surface where you bag it) before letting you put it in the cart. If it didn't like the weight it would force you to put it back in the bag. I don't think they do this anymore. Asset protection can vie…

Last week I went to Walmart and went through self checkout. Probably about $100 of groceries. After paying and clicking to print the receipt there was an error with the receipt printer. They changed the paper but the error remained. They gave me a “trust me bro” you won’t get stopped and sent me on my way. I could have made a fuss but didn’t have anything I would have returned anyways. A bit off putting in how they handled it though.

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#44

Post by themafia »

eth0up wrote: post #20

I frequent the Home Despot and Lowe Life's, until recently, traditionally favoring the Home Despot. The last two visits revealed the complete elimination of checkout lines and the appearance of a new cluster of self service registers with a new orientation perpendicular to the old lines. As I stood before the register, looking at the large monitor, I watched my dehumanized face beleaguered by green lines. I realized…

> always results in perceived offense.

If you think the company has contempt for you then you might try to see what they put new employees through. If you feel lucky just to be able to complete your transaction then you shouldn't have to wonder hard what it's like to feel lucky just to receive a paycheck without any notes or veiled corporate threats attached.

The gamification of society has reduced us all to cattle.

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#45

Post by tzs »

beaviskhan wrote: post #32
JohnFen wrote: post #9

I have developed an extreme distrust of self-checkout systems generally, in part because of the risk of this sort of thing. As a result, I simply don't use them at all anymore.

I don't use them when it's an option - but Home Depot in particular often has zero actual cashiers. They've always got a couple people standing around in self checkout to assist when the system (inevitably?) doesn't work properly, though...

In the HDs I've seen the customer service counter has a couple cash registers and is staffed. I assume the registers are there so they can check out people who are there to pick up an item that they ordered for pickup, but they will also handle regular checkouts.

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#46

Post by AmVess »

bgwalter wrote: post #16
richwater wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> slower than the cashier...Often there is a supervisor breathing down your neck Not sure what stores you're going to go but this is nowhere near my experience.

You scan faster than a trained cashier? Do the self-checkouts in the US use RFID? Here in the EU I have to scan, clumsily and slowly.

Trained cashier? The local Lowe's and HD have little old ladies running the checkouts. They can't even lift most of the things I am buying, and have to scan them myself.

Supermarkets usually have old slow people running them. The only time I don't use self checkout is when I have alcohol, and it is slower every single time than doing it myself.

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#47

Post by andrewflnr »

bgwalter wrote: post #16
richwater wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> slower than the cashier...Often there is a supervisor breathing down your neck Not sure what stores you're going to go but this is nowhere near my experience.

You scan faster than a trained cashier? Do the self-checkouts in the US use RFID? Here in the EU I have to scan, clumsily and slowly.

The line for self-checkout is usually faster, often nonexistent. That easily eats any marginal benefit a fast cashier might offer for my 1 to 5 items.

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#48

Post by tzs »

bgwalter wrote: post #16
richwater wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> slower than the cashier...Often there is a supervisor breathing down your neck Not sure what stores you're going to go but this is nowhere near my experience.

You scan faster than a trained cashier? Do the self-checkouts in the US use RFID? Here in the EU I have to scan, clumsily and slowly.

In the specific case of Walmart I use the "scan and go" feature of their app, so I scan the items using my phone's camera as I take them off the shelf.

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#49

Post by [deleted] »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #24
theamk wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Increase deterrence effect to scare away shoplifters. Home depot goes out of the way to make its cameras visible. There is a large "camera" sign, bright light to catch your attention, a visible display to show it's not a fake, and sometimes even a motion activated chime. I assume the green square around the face is the next step in a game.

The shoplifters don’t care. Look at any hardware section at homedepot. Half the bags are ripped open. Try and find some stock they say is there online. Its not it already got stolen. The registers is not where they need to be combatting theft. It is everywhere else in that store.

[deleted]

Re: Home Depot sued for 'secretly' using facial recognition at self-checkouts

#50

Post by ethagnawl »

bgwalter wrote: post #12

Don't use self-checkouts. You do all the work, slower than the cashier, and are treated like cattle. Often there is a supervisor breathing down your neck and demanding the receipt before the exit doors open. Now there is facial recognition.

I have no doubt that you've experienced all of the above but I'd hazard that it's the exception and not the rule.

Personally, I'm faster at scanning items than most cashiers are. I used to work in retail, though, so maybe that's just me.

I haven't ever experienced a receipt check while using self-checkout. If I did, I'd stop visiting that store. That's a bright red line for me. To my partner's chagrin, it's one of the reasons I won't go into Costco.

While self-checkout is less private in a lot of ways (see article) I value it because I have social anxiety and would prefer to avoid too much (or too little!) smalltalk with cashiers -- especially about the items I'm buying.

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