Wegmans, a popular supermarket chain, is now scanning the faces of customers and storing data so its security system can recognize them.

The company, which has more than 100 stores across 10 states and the District of Columbia, says it's all about safety, but some in New York City worry it's an invasion of privacy.

Facial recognition all about stopping misconduct, Wegmans says

Shoppers at the Wegmans at Broadway and 8th Street are greeted not just by the produce section, but by a new sign warning the store is scanning customers' faces and storing information. The company says it's using facial recognition tools at a small number of stores to identify people who've been previously flagged for misconduct.

Facial recognition tools are front and center at the airport, but at some supermarkets, including Fairway and now Wegmans, the cameras are often out of sight. The City Council has been considering banning the practice since 2023, after the owner of Madison Square Garden started using it to block attorneys from events at its venues if their law firms are involved in cases with MSG.

"If there is a hack or a breach of that data, you can't change your face like you would change a password," said Michelle Dahl, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a nonprofit that fights for consumer privacy. "It's also a civil rights issue. We know that these systems disproportionately misidentify and burden communities that are already targeted by police most often."

Wegmans' response

The supermarket chain would not agree to an interview with CBS News New York, but sent a statement saying it never shares the data it collects with any third party.

"At Wegmans, the safety of our customers and employees is a top priority. Like many retailers, we use cameras to help identify individuals who pose a risk to our people, customers, or operation. In a small fraction of our stores that exhibit an elevated risk, we have deployed cameras equipped with facial recognition technology. In New York City, we comply with local requirements by posting the mandated signage to notify customers about the technology.

"This technology is solely used for keeping our stores secure and safe. The system collects facial recognition data and only uses it to identify individuals who have been previously flagged for misconduct. We do not collect other biometric data such as retinal scans or voice prints. Images and video are retained only as long as necessary for security purposes and then disposed of. For security reasons, we do not disclose the exact retention period, but it aligns with industry standards.

"Persons of interest are determined by our asset protection team based on incidents occurring on our property and on a case-by-case basis, by information from law enforcement for criminal or missing persons cases. We do not share facial recognition scan data with any third party.

"We understand concerns about fairness and bias in facial recognition systems. We employ a multitude of training and safety measures to help keep people safe. Facial recognition technology serves as one investigative lead for us. We never base our decisions on a single lead alone.

"Our goal is simple -- to keep our stores safe and secure."

What shoppers think of Wegmans' high-tech policy

Like it or not, the barcode on your milk isn't the only thing getting scanned at some Wegmans locations.

"It's kind of invading privacy. I could see that. It's good and bad," shopper Victor Cash said. "It could be like a little nuisance, but at the end of the day I don't think it'll ever stop me from coming here."

"You never know for what purpose the information is being collected," Ivan Klimkou said. "I mean, I'm not shoplifting so it's no concern for me."

"They probably do that in airports, too, right? And to me this is more important because it's really a part of my daily life," Jeff Miller added.