'I was labelled a thief after faulty face scan'
BBCA grandfather has told how he felt "physically sick" after facial recognition technology resulted in him being wrongly accused of being a thief in a shop.
Ian Clayton, of Chester, said he was told to leave his local Home Bargains store after the technology linked him to a theft, which he said had nothing to do with him.
"I thought I was going to be sick," he said. "That feeling didn't go away all day and it didn't go away the next day."
A spokesperson for security company Facewatch said Clayton should not have been on the system and his image and "the associated record" had been permanently removed. Home Bargains has been approached for comment.
The 67-year-old said the incident, which happened in front of a group of people, had left him feeling "helpless".
He contacted Facewatch, which sent him his photo with words claiming he had put items into a bag and stolen them.
Clayton has also contacted police and Home Bargains asking to view any CCTV footage.
"I've got a perfect clean record - always have had, pride myself in that," he said.
"I'm not a shoplifter and I really resent being targeted as one and having my face on a system that I can't even have removed."
He has called for an apology and said he just wanted "to feel safe" going into his local shops again.
A Facewatch spokesperson said Home Bargains "has now completed a full review of the incident", adding they took the accuracy of their system extremely seriously and acted promptly where a record was found not to meet the required standard.
A spokesperson for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology said: "No-one should be wrongly identified and accused due to errors in facial recognition systems.
"We will continue to work closely with the Information Commissioner's office to ensure regulations remain effective."
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