Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

petapixel.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 627 posts

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

#261

Post by ceejayoz »

bmn__ wrote: post #120
neilv wrote: post #76

I'm pretty sick of misguided/enthusiastic Loss Prevention people, and these digital systems amplify their hijinks. The most conspicuous one recently was at one upscale grocery chain within the last year. There was what I took to be a dedicated LP person who seemed to be lurking behind the self-checkouts, to watch me specifically, and I stood there until he went away. Then, as I was checking out, this employee came up…

[flagged]

> Put the criminals in prison. Do it often enough, and shoplifting ceases to be a problem of plague-like proportions.

The Brits very conclusively disproved this concept.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Code

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

#262

Post by Maximus9000 »

stogot wrote: post #244
aembleton wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They've still got your gait analysis.

Wear different size shoes and put them on the wrong foot. Your brain will be struggling to have a consistent gait

This might fool the gait analysis, but they will come up with more metrics to analyze you by. You can't beat it. IMO, the only way to stop this is government

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

#263

Post by kube-system »

doctor_radium wrote: post #219
UltraSane wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What store? I have not seen a single store with this setup.

I believe some Kohls, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Dollar General stores do it.

Also Ross, CVS, Walgreens, Kohls, Dicks, Ulta, Burlington, Sephora, most clothing stores, many large gas stations.

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

#264

Post by saubeidl »

kube-system wrote: post #253
dahcryn wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

your compensation is speed, you get to go home faster. Is that not enough?

I don't condone theft... but I do remember a day before self checkouts existed, and stores had to hire enough cashiers to be faster than their competitors. Those dozens of checkout lanes at the front of big-box stores weren't always decorative, they used to all be staffed during busy periods.

Yup, the speed has not gotten better, it's just that it's on me to be speedy as opposed to somebody that gets paid for it.

It's a lousy deal for everyone except the business.

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

#265

Post by kube-system »

UltraSane wrote: post #229
doctor_radium wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe some Kohls, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Dollar General stores do it.

Yep, those are stores I never go to.

You've never been to a CVS, Walgreens, or RiteAid?

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

#266

Post by kube-system »

mnw21cam wrote: post #238
seany wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure what state you're in, but in most places you can just walk by then with zero legal issues (excluding contractual obligations like costco)

I was going to say, at the point they aren't letting you out the door, aren't they committing false imprisonment? Besides, most places nowadays you have to explicitly ask for a receipt or press extra buttons within a 5-second time window to get one.

It depends on the reason why they're stopping you. If they actually think you are stealing, then no, they can stop you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopkeeper's_privilege

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

#267

Post by Henchman21 »

bmn__ wrote: post #120
neilv wrote: post #76

I'm pretty sick of misguided/enthusiastic Loss Prevention people, and these digital systems amplify their hijinks. The most conspicuous one recently was at one upscale grocery chain within the last year. There was what I took to be a dedicated LP person who seemed to be lurking behind the self-checkouts, to watch me specifically, and I stood there until he went away. Then, as I was checking out, this employee came up…

[flagged]

Where is your empathy for your fellow man?

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

#268

Post by MagicMoonlight »

I'm fine with that, shoplifters are scum.

I don't see the point in campaigning against things like this, because it only protects bad people. If the government wants to get you, they won't use home depot to do it, they'll just take you from your house or shoot you in the street. If they want to spy on you, they'll break into your house and put microphones under your carpet and cameras in your walls.

If we actually had cameras like this everywhere, there would be so much less crime. Instead of the drug addict robbing twenty shops a day, they'd be arrested in the second shop.

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

#269

Post by MisterTea »

neilv wrote: post #76

I'm pretty sick of misguided/enthusiastic Loss Prevention people, and these digital systems amplify their hijinks. The most conspicuous one recently was at one upscale grocery chain within the last year. There was what I took to be a dedicated LP person who seemed to be lurking behind the self-checkouts, to watch me specifically, and I stood there until he went away. Then, as I was checking out, this employee came up…

> yet bearded street person with big trash bag full of product makes them think of lovable Santa?

They do not want to confront trash bag man for good reason. What happened is people who don't give a fuck and have no problem with using violence realized there's nothing stopping them from loading up bags of goods and walking out of the store. "Oh you want to stop me? just try mother fucker." Even so called security guards want no part of trash bag man because there is a high chance of violence and most humans do not want to engage with that. Never mind these guards are paid very little and are nothing more than security theater. Pull a gun and those guys are going to be no more a guard than the cashier or a person in line.

The stores are left to fend for themselves as cops these days seem to care less and less. So I am not surprised they are employing all sorts of janky tactics to prevent loss.

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

#270

Post by infecto »

benchly wrote: post #177
4ggr0 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

As an aside, this is not the first time I've seen a discussion (mine and your comments) about racism downvoted on HN. It makes me question the crowd I'm attempting to mingle with, here. I get that the site is primarily concerned interesting tech-related things, but if anyone thinks that we can just avoid politics, social and economic issues that tend to surround those things once in awhile, they're delusional.

It’s a trope and easy to say but I do find the voting system in HN to have gone downhill over the years. It’s very similar to other social media sites. People are polarized about everything, if you have a different opinion, downvoted, if you have a response that might be factual but one of the professional posters here does not like it or you, downvoted.

I will make a benign question and it will instantly get downvoted which to me is against the spirit of HN.

Post reply on HN