The Record: FTC bans Rite Aid from using AI facial recognition following abuses 

Privacy advocates called the case major and said it could be the first in a series of FTC enforcement actions against companies improperly using biometric data. 

“This is a groundbreaking case, a major stride for privacy and civil rights, and hopefully just the beginning of a trend,” John Davisson, the director of litigation at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said via email. 

Davisson said Rite Aid is one of many businesses using unproven techniques and “snake oil surveillance tools” to secretly screen consumers. But he said the FTC has sent a strong message that “algorithmic lawlessness is not an option anymore.” 

Read more here.