Yes, it’s true! All you need to do is pick up a packet of Gillette Mach3 razor blades at Tesco’s in Cambridge, England, and you’ll trigger a CCTV camera. A second camera takes a picture at the checkout and security staff then compare the two images. Apparently the aim of the trial, The Guardian reports, is to provide stock information, but the manager of the store has already described how he presented photos of a thief to police.
Retailers have hailed the technology as the “holy grail” of supply chain management but civil liberties groups argue that the so-called “spy chips” are an invasion of consumers’ privacy and could be used as a covert surveillance device.