Asda slammed over big security change which is 'deeply chilling'

The trial will be conducted in five Asda stores across Greater Manchester.

Asda has made a huge security change to supermarket stores - and says it could be expanded. The trial will be conducted in five Asda stores across Greater Manchester.

The trial scheme went live on March 31, 2025, in Asda's Ashton, Chadderton, Harpurhey, Eastlands, and Trafford Park stores. The stores impacted include Ashton (Cavendish St, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7PF) and Chadderton (Milne St, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 0JE) and Harpurhey (Harpurhey Shopping Centre, Manchester M9 4DJ) as well as Eastlands (Sport City, Ashton New Rd, Manchester M11 4BD) and Trafford Park (Barton Dock Rd, Trafford Park, Stretford, Manchester M41 7ZA).

On the trial, Asda's non-food and retail chief commercial officer Liz Evans said: "The rise in shoplifting and threats and violence against shopworkers in recent years is unacceptable and as a responsible retailer we have to look at all options to reduce the number of offences committed in our stores and protect our colleagues.

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“We consistently look for new ways to improve the security in our stores and this trial will help us understand if facial recognition technology can reduce the number of incidents and provide greater protection to everybody in our stores.”

Big Brother Watch’s Senior Advocacy Officer Madeleine Stone said: “Asda’s decision to deploy Orwellian facial recognition technology in its shops is deeply disproportionate and chilling. Facial recognition surveillance turns shoppers into suspects, by subjecting customers browsing the supermarket aisles to a series of biometric identity checks.

"Asda is adding customers to secret watchlists with no due process, meaning people could be blacklisted despite being innocent. Facial recognition has well-documented issues with accuracy and bias, and has already led to distressing and embarrassing cases of innocent shoppers being publicly branded as shoplifters."

The company collects still images from in-store CCTV of individuals staff suspect may be involved in “theft, violence and/or fraud in Asda stores”, though they may not be convicted of any crime.

She said: "Facial recognition is dangerously out of control in the UK. Asda should abandon this trial and the government must urgently step in to prevent the uncheckered spread of this invasive technology.”