No, the parent poster is referring to cameras that are positioned at self-checkouts. Self-checkout is problematic because of theft, and so cameras are a great w

No, the parent poster is referring to cameras that are positioned at self-checkouts. Self-checkout is problematic because of theft, and so cameras are a great way to discourage theft, in the same way that (fake) cameras have been used for years. If people are being watched, they behave better. I'm skeptical of the claim that they're engaging in facial recognition. I guess, at some point, it's possible, but right now, given the widespread use of the cameras across every supermarket, it seems very difficult to imagine that all of these supermarkets have implemented a facial recognition system at the same time. Rather, they've all realised, if you put a camera at a self checkout, it'll probably reduce theft. That's why the screen is there, because you can see yourself being recorded, if it was for facial recognition... why a screen at all? Typically a self-checkout will have a camera if it does not use a scale, whereas cameras are less common at the self-checkouts that use a scale -- and so it's harder to steal. That's my experience anyway across a few different supermarkets in the UK.