TL;DR
An Adafruit blog post titled 'Don't Let the Grocery Store Scan Your Face: How to Stop Wegmans' appears online, but the full article content was not accessible from the provided source link. Key claims and any recommended tactics are not confirmed in the source.
What happened
A post with the headline urging readers to block grocery-store facial scans and specifically referencing Wegmans was posted on the Adafruit blog on or before January 8, 2026, according to the source metadata. The provided URL leads to the Adafruit site, but the page was behind a Cloudflare security check and the article text could not be retrieved for review. Because the content was not accessible, this report cannot verify what instructions, evidence, or examples the original post contained, nor can it confirm whether the piece describes an active deployment at Wegmans, offers technical countermeasures, or documents legal or policy steps. The article's existence and headline are the only items directly observable from the source; all other specifics cited in this summary are not confirmed in the source.
Why it matters
- Biometric surveillance, including facial recognition, raises privacy and consent questions for consumers in public and commercial spaces.
- If retailers adopt facial-scanning systems, that could affect shopper anonymity, data collection practices, and the potential for data sharing with third parties.
- Guidance circulated online about resisting or opting out of biometric systems can influence public response and consumer behavior, as well as retailers' policies.
- Legal frameworks and corporate policies around use of facial recognition are evolving; public attention can spur regulatory or corporate changes.
Key facts
- Source: Adafruit blog (blog.adafruit.com) with a post titled 'Don't Let the Grocery Store Scan Your Face: How to Stop Wegmans'.
- URL from source: https://blog.adafruit.com/2026/01/07/dont-let-the-grocery-store-scan-your-face-a-guide-to-fighting-back-against-biometric-surveillance-at-wegmans/
- Publication metadata shows a timestamp of 2026-01-08T00:48:11+00:00.
- The page was inaccessible at the time of review due to a Cloudflare security/verification page blocking access.
- Because the article text could not be retrieved, specific claims, recommended actions, and any evidence presented in the post are not confirmed in the source.
- The visible excerpt in the source record only showed the word 'Comments', with no article body available for verification.
- No direct statements from Wegmans, regulators, or other third parties are present in the accessible source material.
What to watch next
- Whether the Adafruit post is updated to allow direct access to the article text — not confirmed in the source.
- Any public statements or responses from Wegmans addressing facial-recognition use in stores — not confirmed in the source.
- Follow-up reporting or documentation that verifies whether specific facial-scanning systems are deployed in Wegmans locations — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Facial recognition: A biometric technology that analyzes facial features from images or video to identify or verify a person.
- Biometric surveillance: The use of biological data—such as fingerprints, iris scans, or facial images—for monitoring, identification, or tracking.
- Cloudflare: A web infrastructure and security company that provides services like content delivery and DDoS protection, sometimes presenting verification pages when blocking traffic.
- Adafruit: An online electronics and maker-focused publisher and retailer that also maintains a blog covering projects and commentary.
Reader FAQ
Does the source prove Wegmans is scanning customers' faces?
Not confirmed in the source.
Does the Adafruit post provide step-by-step instructions to block facial scans?
Not confirmed in the source.
Where can I read the original article?
The article URL is included in the source metadata, but the page was unreachable at the time of review due to a Cloudflare verification page.
Are there legal protections against retailer use of facial recognition?
Not confirmed in the source.
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Sources
- Don't Let the Grocery Store Scan Your Face: How to Stop Wegmans
- NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers' eyes, …
- Wegmans added facial recognition technology to NYC …
- Wegmans debuts new safety technology for select stores, Erie …
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