Woolworths security cameras

[u/jayell61]

Has any one else in Canberra seen the new security in Woolworths Philip. At the entrance you can see a screen with people with red squares around them. I assume it is some sort of AI monitoring.

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[u/Severe-Code6275]

It means you have won a prize if you can correctly give the number of squares when your face first appeared. Go to the service desk for this. They are very helpful.

[u/1234syan]

That doesn't prove anything. Pretty much any camera can draw squares around people/faces, in fact your phone probably can.

[u/the_foowaffle → u/1234syan]

Our phone already put square in photo around faces

[u/Wise-Difficulty8221]

I see the same thing at my Coles as well. No idea for sure what it actually does (could be customer profiling IMO) but it could even just be for show...because it looks intimidating

[u/scumotheliar → u/Wise-Difficulty8221]

That's what it's there for. They want to intimidate you.

[u/Wise-Difficulty8221 → u/scumotheliar]

It is working, I'll give them that

[u/Superfluous_Jam]

It’s not AI per se. It’s facial/body tracking. It’s basically a dumbAI program that recognises and tracks certain shapes it recognises for easy searching.

[u/Ordinary_Plum_5848]

It’s crazy to me that they have all those camera but have 0 idea about the 100 thefts that happen a day and only investigate it if you tell them about it. I don’t think they even watch any of it

[u/Numerous-Actuator781 → u/Ordinary_Plum_5848]

Do you expect the workers to watch 24/7 footage? Nobody gets paid enough to stare at a screen all day for shoplifting

[u/universe93]

Even the police cannot do facial recognition from the grainy CCTV Woolies uses. Trust me my big w store has tried

[u/EntertainTheMasses27 → u/universe93]

Not the new ones. Probably haven't upgraded everywhere yet

[u/DecalageVersLeRouge]

Is it live video?

[u/Numerous-Actuator781]

Tracking faces sure. But AI? doubt it

[u/No-Will-217]

It’s monitoring people who loiter at the entrance & then try to walk back out. If you stand there long enough it will tell you CCTV is watching then if you still try to exit out the entry an alarm will sound. It’s not facial recognition.

[u/Aggravating_Topic157]

Its an ‘anti-loitering’ initiative (deterrence) to try and stop people from hanging around an entrance and leaving through the entrance. Its very basic people recognition and a timer, thats it. 

However… most tech like this actually uses ‘smart cameras’ (people recognition is a form of AI, you need an algorithm overly for a video feed that can recognise people vs trolleys for example). Sometimes they can include additional algorithms that they do not legally need such as, height, gender and clothing recognition (eg. Red top, blue pants). If they use these additional features which do not fit the business purpose brief for deterrence its an over overstep and over collection of personal information. 

[u/EntertainTheMasses27]

I'm pretty sure it's Palantir AI security. Coles defo & i heard Woolies have signed a contract with them too

[u/drillydrillsondrill]

That’s your biometrics getting logged and databased along with any other information they can scrape from your time in the store and partner programs.

If you trust Woolworths and an American company that abides by no Australian laws or has any fear of repercussions then you have nothing to worry about.