Grocery Outlet has begun installing technology at several Bay Area locations, which stores images of customers’ faces alongside security camera footage and compares it against a “watchlist” with info about suspected criminal activity shared by other retailers. Emeryville-based Grocery Outlet has quietly introduced facial recognition technology at four San Francisco stores, including the Mission, Portola, Bayview, and Richmond districts, as part of an effort to combat shoplifting, as Mission Local reports. Small signs posted near store entrances alert customers that “Face Matching software” is being used for security purposes, similar to a system utilized by a few Castro bars to identify blacklisted customers, as SFist reported last month. According to the Chronicle, similar signs were also spotted at Grocery Outlet locations in Pleasant Hill and Concord, which direct customers to a QR code with SAFR Guard’s privacy policy. It remains unclear how many other Grocery Outlet locations use the system or how long it’s been installed. Per Mission Local, Grocery Outlet stores are leased to independent store operators. SAFR Guard, operated by the company SAFR, reportedly captures facial images of people entering stores and combines that information with security camera footage and retailer-provided information about people suspected of theft, violence, or other illegal activity. The company maintains a “watchlist” of individuals identified through previous incidents and sends alerts to retailers when someone on the list enters a store. “SAFR Guard is designed for security purposes to assist retailers in preventing unlawful conduct and maintaining a safe environment by identifying individuals reasonably suspected of engaging in activities,” the company’s privacy policy states, “such as, but not limited to, theft, fraud, violence, harassment, or other malicious, deceptive or unlawful conduct.” SAFR President Charisse Jacques told Mission Local the system is intended for “targeted deployment” rather than broad surveillance. The technology does not