An innocent grandfather was wrongly accused of being a thief after facial recognition technology suggested he had stolen items. The facial recognition technology flags suspicious movements such as goods being stuffed into bags and sends a message to workers with footage and where the behaviour is happening. Mr Clayton told the BBC his experience made him feel 'helpless'. Mr Clayton's experience came as figures last month revealed facial recognition cameras were flagging record numbers of crime suspects in the UK, including more than 2,000 a day in the week leading up to Christmas. She told ITV's Good Morning Britain how she was accused of taking items worth £10, with a description added to a facial recognition watchlist.

Source: Daily Mail February 23, 2026 16:24 UTC