NYC grocers furious as city council pushes to ban facial recognition technology
Ferreira Foodtown CEO Jason Ferreira calls out leftist city council members for wanting to ban facial recognition technology as thefts soar in the city
New York City grocers are expressing outrage over a push by city council members to ban facial recognition technology stores rely on to deter shoplifting due to concerns of racial discrimination.
Ferreira Foodtown CEO Jason Ferreira joined "Fox & Friends" Tuesday to call out the suggestion as thefts continue to rock businesses in the Big Apple.
Ferreira, who has been in business for over 45 years, said the shoplifting has never been worse.
"It's spreading," he said. "It's not only people that are doing it professionally. We have people that are doing it just because they can get away with it. And the gamut runs from children to people that are older."
The proposed bill would require private businesses and residential buildings to obtain customers' written consent before their biometric information is captured, making it practically impossible for supermarkets to use the technology to combat theft, the New York Post reported.
Critics argue the technology increases the risk of racial profiling and should only be used by law enforcement. Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan has come under fire for using the tech to bar his personal enemies from venues in the city.
"Studies have consistently shown that this technology has high error rates for darker skinned people," City Council member and co-sponsor Shahana Hanif (D-Brooklyn) said in a statement to The Post. "We’re headed down a dystopian path if we’re conceding that a facial recognition scan is a prerequisite to buying eggs."
Shoplifters in NYC were caught on video stealing laundry detergent at a store near Manhattan. (Fox News)
Ferreira agreed with co-host Brian Kilmeade's assessment that the argument is a "total fallacy" and noted the technology was a "big investment" to improve the shopping experience of his customers.
Earlier this year, Ferreira and thousands of other independent grocers in the city formed a political coalition to demand action from politicians and law enforcement on the rampant crime.
"We've been trying to get Albany to listen to us, the mayor's office to listen to us, legislators to listen to us. And it's been several months now. We've been crying out for help and we haven't seen any traction," he said.
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"You're getting this attitude from law enforcement where, you know, they're kind of hands off. They pass the buck on to the legislators, the legislators say we have to call the police and we're going back and forth, but we're not getting any traction."
The bill calls for a $5,000 fine per violation plus legal fees. So far 15 city legislators have signed on. It is unclear whether the legislation will be fast-tracked.
The New York Post contributed to this report.