4 ms·

For retail businesses, it's likely related to loss-prevention and shoplifting.

bogomipz 7y ago
Could you walk me through how that would work in practice though. Aren't these searches manual? How would this be an effective tool in something concerned with real time like loss prevention?
- dylan604 7y ago
  It doesn't really take a stretch of the imagination to come up with something. Ever seen Minority Report? They used retinal scans to ID shoppers to provide them with targeted ads, just replace that with facial recoginition. For the security/loss prevention aspect, stores have cameras on all of the entrances. The facial recognition systems could ID known shoplifters/return scammers/etc and alert security for "closer" scrutiny.
  - bogomipz 7y ago
    But it's not a real time system. You have to have a target and do a search. From Clearview's homepage: "Clearview is an after-the-fact research tool. Clearview is not a surveillance system and is not built like one. For example, analysts upload images from crime scenes and compare them to publicly available images." Do you imagine Rite Aid and Equinox Gym which are not exactly bastions of technology are developing sophisticated Minority Report type systems?
- moandcompany 7y ago
  I think these systems would be applied less toward real-time shoplifting and more toward investigating and preventing repeat or systematic fraud, e.g. "hot exchanges" (https://consumerist.com/2016/11/23/three-return-scams-retailers-will-be-looking-for-this-holiday-season/ https://consumerist.com/2016/11/23/three-return-scams-retail...) (https://consumerist.com/2017/04/18/man-steals-11000-in-stuff-from-home-depot-then-returned-it-all-for-refunds/ https://consumerist.com/2017/04/18/man-steals-11000-in-stuff...) Using Home Depot as a retail example, more and more, when you walk into their stores you may find cameras with signs boldly stating that "you're on camera" in aisles, at self-checkout registers, and at customer service desks (i.e. return desks). These are meant to be a basic deterrent, but can also be used for investigation related to returns abuse/fraud. Many retail stores have allowed customer returns without a proof of purchase. In some cases, they provide cash refunds, below a certain dollar amount. Most stores now issue gift cards/store credit, which can still be resold on card exchange marketplaces, ebay, etc for most of the card value ~90%.

Could you walk me through how that would work in practice though. Aren't these searches manual? How would this be an effective tool in something concerned with real time like loss prevention?

dylan604 7y ago
It doesn't really take a stretch of the imagination to come up with something. Ever seen Minority Report? They used retinal scans to ID shoppers to provide them with targeted ads, just replace that with facial recoginition. For the security/loss prevention aspect, stores have cameras on all of the entrances. The facial recognition systems could ID known shoplifters/return scammers/etc and alert security for "closer" scrutiny.
- bogomipz 7y ago
  But it's not a real time system. You have to have a target and do a search. From Clearview's homepage: "Clearview is an after-the-fact research tool. Clearview is not a surveillance system and is not built like one. For example, analysts upload images from crime scenes and compare them to publicly available images." Do you imagine Rite Aid and Equinox Gym which are not exactly bastions of technology are developing sophisticated Minority Report type systems?
moandcompany 7y ago
I think these systems would be applied less toward real-time shoplifting and more toward investigating and preventing repeat or systematic fraud, e.g. "hot exchanges" (https://consumerist.com/2016/11/23/three-return-scams-retailers-will-be-looking-for-this-holiday-season/ https://consumerist.com/2016/11/23/three-return-scams-retail...) (https://consumerist.com/2017/04/18/man-steals-11000-in-stuff-from-home-depot-then-returned-it-all-for-refunds/ https://consumerist.com/2017/04/18/man-steals-11000-in-stuff...) Using Home Depot as a retail example, more and more, when you walk into their stores you may find cameras with signs boldly stating that "you're on camera" in aisles, at self-checkout registers, and at customer service desks (i.e. return desks). These are meant to be a basic deterrent, but can also be used for investigation related to returns abuse/fraud. Many retail stores have allowed customer returns without a proof of purchase. In some cases, they provide cash refunds, below a certain dollar amount. Most stores now issue gift cards/store credit, which can still be resold on card exchange marketplaces, ebay, etc for most of the card value ~90%.