this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2024
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Well.
Walmart kinda does do a background check on you, yes. They have an entire biometric dossier, too.
They don’t care if you’re buying ammo illegally, though. But they are running background checks on everyone coming into their stores. Have been for a while.
Wait what? Background checks on everyone that goes in a Walmart?? That’s an insanely large number of people.
yup.
So. Their security cameras, that are literally everywhere in the store? they're tied into all sorts of biometrics. Facial recognition, gate recognition.
They also get your name, address, etc, if you ever use a credit or debit card, and match it to that. Their system goes and dives and runs everything public about you, as well as they record everything you do, everything you buy, and build that into a dossier. Their loss prevention staff, get alerts about anyone they think needs to be watched.
pretty much all of the big box stores and other large retail chains are using these kinds of systems. hell, Some places have started using "smart" cameras to track how long you stare at the gossip rags while waiting to check out, or the candy as you walk by the candy aisle.
This all sounds like bullshit to me without sources.
ACLU on biometrics
Forbes on IoT devices
ArsTech on facial rec. retailers love to blame everything they fucking can on shoplifters. it's a great excuse.
Walmart bragging about it in their online space. Sure, that's online. But Walmart has had the ability to track everything you do in the store for literal decades, and has actively developed AI facial recog (and lets be honest, other related biometrics). If you think the online data is valuable... then you gotta wonder about the physical end of it to.
And it's incredibly valuable as IoT tags start pushing you advertisements, and all those smart shelves they're installing are tracking where you look as they flash their cheery little adverts that are crafted with the advice and input of a small army of neuroscientistis. oh. that sounds ridiculous bullshit doesn't it? Actually, the field is now it's own field called 'neuromarketing'. the IoT shelves, the security systems tracking customers providing near-real-time feedback on those things all require a massive database.
What's really disgusting is that they will cheerfully lie to you and tell you its to make your experience better.. (if that's even true at all, it's because they want the spare change they didn't get.)
Fuck yes. Thank you.
You never paid attention to the screens above the line for the self checkouts? You can see the system isolating faces and gait in real-time.