Amazon Go stores in New York City didn’t properly alert customers they were being biometrically tracked, lawsuit says

Amazon is facing a lawsuit alleging that the company did not adequately notify customers entering its Amazon Go stores in New York City that it was tracking and collecting their biometric information.

The lawsuit claims that the e-commerce company violated New York City. Law Passed in early 2021, it requires businesses that collect, store or share “biometric identifier information” to post signs near their entrances that alert customers. They are doing that.

gave Trial The suit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of buyer Alfredo Rodriguez Perez.

Amazon Go Stores, which First opened In 2018, use what the company calls its “Just Walk Out Technology.” Shoppers scan a mobile app, and are then tracked using “computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning” technology as they place items in their carts, the company said. Says that on its website.

There are no cashiers and no need to check out. Instead, shoppers simply walk out of the store, and their Amazon accounts are charged as they leave.

“Just Walk Out technology automatically detects when products are taken off the shelf or returned and tracks them in a virtual cart,” Amazon’s website reads.

The lawsuit alleges that Amazon Go collects shoppers’ biometric information “by scanning the palms of certain customers to identify them and applying computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion to identify each customer’s body.” “measures shape and size to identify consumers, where they’re at. They move through stores, and determine what they’ve bought.”

The lawsuit argues that since New York City began enforcing its notification law in January 2021, Amazon Go stores “failed to post any signs” informing shoppers that they were collecting such biometric information. Is.

However, after 10 March Story Amazon Go Stores in New York City posted their first notification signs on March 14, the lawsuit claims, in the New York Times on the use of facial recognition technology by businesses.

The signs read, “Biometric information collected at this location,” the suit said.

In a statement provided to CBS News Saturday in response to the lawsuit, an Amazon spokesperson said Amazon Go stores “do not use facial recognition technology.”

“Amazon One, our contactless, palm-based identification and payment service, is one of the entry options offered at select Amazon Go stores with a credit card and the Amazon app,” the statement said. “Only shoppers who choose to enroll in Amazon One and choose to identify themselves by rotating their palm on an Amazon One device will have their palm biometric data securely collected, and those individuals will be able to complete the enrollment process.” Appropriate privacy disclosures are provided during. Always in control when they choose to identify using their palm. Additionally, Just Walk Out is used to distinguish shoppers from one another. The technology is not biometric, and is used only to associate a customer with their purchases during a store visit.”