New York City went into effect in 2021, requiring businesses to post conspicuous signs if they are collecting biometric information such as facial scans or fingerprints from their customers. Amazon is now facing a proposed class action lawsuit that accuses Amazon of failing to notify customers that it was collecting biometrics at her Go checkout-free stores.
In a lawsuit (PDF) filed by Alfredo Alberto Rodriguez Perez, plaintiffs allege that Go stores always use customer biometrics. [their palms] It applies computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion that measures each customer’s body shape and size to identify customers, track where they move in the store, and tell them what they have purchased. Judge. has only hinted at biometric tracking activity for more than a year since the law came into force.
Amazon’s Go store allows shoppers to pick items off the shelf and walk away without having to checkout. To enter these stores, you must scan a code from the Amazon app with a connected credit card. However, some locations offer Amazon One, the e-commerce giant’s palm-based identity and payment service, as an entry option.According to plaintiffs’ complaint, the signature informs customers that Amazon will not collect biometrics unless they choose to sign up for Amazon One. do We collect biometric identifier information from all our customers, including information about their body size and shape,” the complaint alleges.
In a statement sent to NBC News, an Amazon spokesperson defended the company’s practices and technology. I explained that I didn’t configure the . “Only shoppers who choose to enroll with Amazon One and choose to be identified by holding their palm over their Amazon One device will have their palm biometric data securely collected,” they claim. and “These individuals will be provided with appropriate privacy disclosures during the registration process.”
The outcome of litigation may depend on whether a court considers someone’s body type and size to be biometric information. Plaintiffs, in their complaint, define biometric identifiers in the statutory context of NYC Admin Code 22-1201 as “any physiological or biological characteristic used alone or in combination by or on behalf of a commercial establishment. and assist in identifying an individual, including, but not limited to, (i) retinal or iris scans, (ii) fingerprints or voiceprints, (iii) hand or facial geometry scans, or other identifying characteristics. “
