It’s only been months since we saw the FTC chime in and penalize Rite Aid for making use of incorrect biometrics at many of its leading stores and now, Target might be falling in the same boat.
The leading retail brand in the US is going to be hit with a class action lawsuit that was filed a few weeks back in the state of Illinois.
This particular legal case states Target ended up breaking an old Privacy Act that was rolled out in 2008. It was designed to ensure citizens remain protected from having their personal identity and characteristics collected without prior consent.
For now, Target is yet to speak on the matter and at the same time, isn’t refuting such claims either and that can again be another leading problem.
The law in question was rolled out unanimously after activists and unions unanimously felt the need to have consumers’ identities including physical characteristics protected. The law would stop private firms from grabbing a hold of retina scans, voice prints, DNA, facial characteristics including geometry, and even fingerprints that are routinely collected without any kind of check and balance in place.
Only in cases where users are aware of their data being stored in databases and therefore have provided consent for the aforementioned above to arise would Target attain the data but other than that, it’s not happening with this new lawsuit in place.
For years, retailers have long argued on this front including how such technology is required to assist people in staying away from matters like theft that the company has spoken about in its own manner. Each year, it’s mentioned as a growing issue and published through financial results as well.
Therefore, retailers have opted to stay hush on the matter for a while and usually tend to keep such technology under wraps but thanks to lawsuits like these, it’s evident that Target has plenty of changes to make and explanations to do in court if indeed the practice is deemed widespread.
So far, retail trade has proven how everything is getting so crowded with time and plenty of vendors are being promised with growing options for tech. Moreover, the ruling made by the FTC that came against Right Aid caused a serious ban against the practice and today, the retailer stands bankrupt.
Making use of tech that’s full of flaws leads to clients being tagged falsely, one agency reported and that’s usually the case when the consumers involved arise from different races or happen to be people of color.
Today, Rite Aid is barred from utilizing facial surveillance means in its biometrics that cause so many people severe embarrassment, alongside different harms.
Moreover, other kinds of violations have similarly arisen that put clients’ sensitive data at risk, and that again is a serious reason worth considering. This is why the FTC says it’s been forced to take matters into its own hands with an investigation to see how far Target has come and if people’s data is being risked from the brand’s unfair biometrics and poor security endeavors.
It’s about time that someone raised questions on the system that’s in place, experts reveal and if things are as bad as it seems, the company should gear up for a long journey of public shaming and mega-fines, not to mention strict rules to be implemented with immediate effect.
H/T: Marketing Daily / Media Post
Read next: Misinformation Concerns Run High As Meta Integrates Controversial AI Chatbot Across All Of Its Apps
The leading retail brand in the US is going to be hit with a class action lawsuit that was filed a few weeks back in the state of Illinois.
This particular legal case states Target ended up breaking an old Privacy Act that was rolled out in 2008. It was designed to ensure citizens remain protected from having their personal identity and characteristics collected without prior consent.
For now, Target is yet to speak on the matter and at the same time, isn’t refuting such claims either and that can again be another leading problem.
The law in question was rolled out unanimously after activists and unions unanimously felt the need to have consumers’ identities including physical characteristics protected. The law would stop private firms from grabbing a hold of retina scans, voice prints, DNA, facial characteristics including geometry, and even fingerprints that are routinely collected without any kind of check and balance in place.
Only in cases where users are aware of their data being stored in databases and therefore have provided consent for the aforementioned above to arise would Target attain the data but other than that, it’s not happening with this new lawsuit in place.
For years, retailers have long argued on this front including how such technology is required to assist people in staying away from matters like theft that the company has spoken about in its own manner. Each year, it’s mentioned as a growing issue and published through financial results as well.
Therefore, retailers have opted to stay hush on the matter for a while and usually tend to keep such technology under wraps but thanks to lawsuits like these, it’s evident that Target has plenty of changes to make and explanations to do in court if indeed the practice is deemed widespread.
So far, retail trade has proven how everything is getting so crowded with time and plenty of vendors are being promised with growing options for tech. Moreover, the ruling made by the FTC that came against Right Aid caused a serious ban against the practice and today, the retailer stands bankrupt.
Making use of tech that’s full of flaws leads to clients being tagged falsely, one agency reported and that’s usually the case when the consumers involved arise from different races or happen to be people of color.
Today, Rite Aid is barred from utilizing facial surveillance means in its biometrics that cause so many people severe embarrassment, alongside different harms.
Moreover, other kinds of violations have similarly arisen that put clients’ sensitive data at risk, and that again is a serious reason worth considering. This is why the FTC says it’s been forced to take matters into its own hands with an investigation to see how far Target has come and if people’s data is being risked from the brand’s unfair biometrics and poor security endeavors.
It’s about time that someone raised questions on the system that’s in place, experts reveal and if things are as bad as it seems, the company should gear up for a long journey of public shaming and mega-fines, not to mention strict rules to be implemented with immediate effect.
Read next: Misinformation Concerns Run High As Meta Integrates Controversial AI Chatbot Across All Of Its Apps
