Asda has received more than 5,000 complaints over its use of live facial recognition technology, during a trial of systems at five of its Greater Manchester Stores.

Last month, the supermarket chain announced it would begin trialling the technology, integrated into its existing CCTV network, at its Ashton, Chadderton, Eastlands, Harpurhey and Trafford Park sites.

However, since then, Asda has been faced with a barrage of over 5,425 emails, following a campaign by privacy campaigning organisation Big Brother Watch. The pressure group described the trial as “deeply disproportionate and chilling”, reported The Grocer.

The new technology works by scanning facial images and comparing the results to a list of known individuals who have previously engaged in criminal activity at an Asda site.

If a match is found by the automated system, in a process that takes seconds, a member of the Asda head office security team will be able to conduct a remote check and provide feedback to the store in real time.

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However Big Brother Watch’s senior advocacy officer Madeleine Stone said use of the technology in Asda stores “turns shoppers into suspects, by subjecting customers browsing the supermarket aisles to a series of biometric identity checks”.

“Asda is adding customers to a secret watchlist with no due process, meaning people could be blacklisted from their local shop despite being innocent,” said Stone, speaking to the publication.

“Facial recognition has well-documented issues with accuracy and bias, and has already led to distressing and embarrassing cases of innocent shoppers being publicly branded as shoplifters.”

Previously, southern Co-op also faced backlash by members of the public and Big Brother after it partnered with FaceWatch for a pilot of its facial recognition software in 2022.

Rolled out across five stores in  London, Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton and Hove, Bristol and Chichester, Big Brother Watch at the time called the new initiative “Orwellian” and “unlawful”.

Facial recognition is not currently used widely in the supermarket sector, despite Iceland boss Richard Walker admitting he was “happy” to use the tech in response to the “very real threat” of retail crime that his colleagues experience.

It is not the first time a supermarket’s attempt to crackdown on shoplifting and retail crime has been criticised by shoppers.

Last year, a Morrisons RoboCop’ style security camera trial sparked a backlash among some customers who claim the new devices have left them feeling “like a criminal”.

Asda has been contacted for comment.