Sainsbury’s 'dangerous' facial recognition is back, months after ejecting an innocent shopper

This week, I tried to opt out of the facial recognition system at my local Sainsbury’s supermarket.

Sainsbury’s is far from alone in using live facial recognition technology.

Sainsbury’s first began trialing facial recognition in September 2025 across just two stores.

With market leaders like Sainsbury’s publicly endorsing facial recognition, other high-street chains will watch the rollout closely.

Big Brother Watch has launched a campaign encouraging shoppers to object, while a petition calling on the Government to halt the use of facial recognition has surpassed 41,000 signatures.