Artificial intelligence is not yet infallible. A British was accused of robbery for a camera with facial recognition and prohibited in all home gangs stores. Only concern: he did not commit the offense that the cameras attributed to him.
In a country where AI recognition systems are beginning to multiply, this episode once again questions the reliability of facial recognition systems.
An AI that erroneously accuses
According to the BBC, in May 2025, a Manchester resident (northwest of England) went to a domestic bargain shop. While buying, an official asked him to leave the establishment, without an apparent explanation. He only advises that he communicates with the Facewatch company, a specialist in facial recognition systems and manager of the security tool established in the facilities.
In June, the young woman goes to another brand’s store and history is repeated. As soon as she entered the building, she is surrounded by security and expelled from the store, without justification.
It is only after insisting with the facial clock and the home gars that includes what is happening and realizes that she is accused of theft of the rolls of toilet paper. The facial recognition system identified him as guilty of theft and integrated the woman’s face into his database. In all gangs stores at home, it stuck like a thief and, therefore, access is prohibited.
At the intention of protests, the evidence provided that he had not stolen the rolls and, on the contrary, has adjusted his purchases well, ended up being innocent. After the incident, Home Bargains announced to suspend its activities with Facewatch.
It is not the first that such a situation implies English societies Facewatch and Home Bargains. In 2024, also an English citizen, also found prohibited in all stores after being mistakenly accused of theft by the facial recognition system. Despite these errors, Facewatch has had some success in the country to the point of being used by the police.
A technology that develops
Also called Cybersurveillance, facial recognition is gradually democratizing in the world. This biometric technology aims to analyze, using an algorithm, facial lines of a video or a photo, and compare them with the images stored in a database.
Asia is the most fond of this technology such as some countries such as China, but also Japan, which uses cameras in workplaces or public transport.
The establishment of facial recognition in the countries of the European Union is more discreetly. The implementation of technology is remarkably supervised by the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Facial recognition remains prohibited with the exception of very specific situations that involve significant security problems (cultural, sporting events, events, etc.).
Act of the Leave the choice of each country to exploit the tool provided that its use is justified and according to the restrictions imposed by the text:
Facial recognition in France
In France, the use of such cameras is still torn. In June 2023, the Senate adopted a bill in the first reading aimed at regulating facial recognition nationwide. It prohibits certain uses, such as the analysis of emotions, the categorization of individuals or social notation. The text is still being examined.
This did not prevent the tests of the first smart cameras “on an experimental basis,” specifies the CNIL, during important events such as the Taylor Swift concert in May 2024, the Roland-Garros Tennis Tournament or during the Paris Olympic Games.
These systems do not use facial recognition, but analyze the movements of the crowd to detect a potential danger. However, its deployment can be a pioneer in the use of facial recognition in France.
Source: BFM TV
