State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, along with fellow Sen. James Maroney, say they will be introducing a bill to ban the use of facial recognition software in Connecticut retail stores next month, when the 2026 legislative session begins.

While both Stop & Shop and Stew Leonard’s tell News 12 they do not use the technology, the ShopRite on Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk does, with a sign next to the entrance.

“I don’t like it, it’s invading my privacy,” said Agapi Theodoridou, a shopper there, “I don’t trust them.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for ShopRite’s parent company notes that security cameras have been used for years in retail stores, and “today, advances in technology — including biometrics — allow retailers to better identify organized retail crime and repeat offenders in stores, helping security respond more quickly and effectively to threats.”

“I understand sometimes their need for it and whatever, as long as its not used improperly,” said Gene Cronin, another ShopRite customer.

Meanwhile, Wegmans tells News 12 that it uses facial recognition at some locations that have what the company calls “an elevated risk.”

But while their stores in New York City with the cameras have signs, which are required by law there, Wegmans would not answer whether or not it was also being used at the Norwalk location, with a spokesperson saying “for security and safety purposes, we do not get into the specific measures used at each store.”

“At least they should say so people have the opportunity, so people have the opportunity to react accordingly,” responded Robert Luzzi, a Wegmans shopper.

“Nobody signed up for a facial scan when they go to buy milk and eggs at the store, so we need to have disclosure,” agreed Duff. “Security is one thing, and I totally understand that, and the other issue is more of a personal privacy issue, and that’s what we’re trying to concentrate on.”

Duff says when it comes to facial recognition, there are too many unregulated issues and questions right now, explaining “We don’t know who owns the data, how long it’s being stored for, is it sold to a third party? Is that being used – this information to do dynamic pricing – I pay one price, you pay a different price?”

As far as ShopRite is concerned, the spokesperson tells News 12 that the technology is only used for security, and while the data may be shared with law enforcement if there is a crime, it is also “regularly” deleted, and never sold.

Wegmans also says that at the stores where facial recognition is used, the data is not shared with third parties.

“We’re going to have public hearings, we’re going to seek input from experts, we’re going to seek input from retailers, we’re going to seek input from customers,” said Duff. “If there’s other ways in which we can move forward together, then we’ll be talking about that, and hopefully we’ll be coming up with a workable compromise.”

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