1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

We urgently need robust privacy laws prohibiting the use of facial recognition technology by private companies like Kroger. Facial recognition systems have been shown to discriminate against marginalized communities and enable invasive surveillance and data exploitation. Allowing grocery stores to deploy facial recognition undermines consumer privacy and threatens to normalize this unethical technology across the retail sector. Companies should not be permitted to build personal data profiles on shoppers or dynamically adjust pricing based on individuals' perceived willingness to pay. Such practices are manipulative and exploitative. We call for a ban on commercial facial recognition until strong safeguards are established to protect civil liberties, prevent bias, and preserve consumer privacy rights. Inaction risks proliferating a dystopian, Minority Report-like reality where our faces are constantly scanned and our behavior is covertly influenced by corporate algorithms. Facial recognition gravely threatens our freedom, autonomy and human dignity - it must be reined in through decisive legislation before it's too late.