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You can ask a store what its cameras do, check posted privacy notices, and choose another retailer or avoid a specific area if you are not comfortable with the answer. You cannot turn off a store’s cameras with a phone setting: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and airplane mode may affect some collection of wireless device signals, but they do not stop visual recording.
What “camera tracking” can mean
A camera in a store may record security footage, analyze movement and foot traffic, or be part of a facial-recognition system intended to identify or match people. These are different practices with different privacy implications. Seeing a camera does not establish that the store uses facial recognition.
| What is sensed | Typical purpose | Does it seek identity? |
|---|---|---|
| Video footage | Security monitoring or incident review | Not necessarily; recording video alone does not prove facial recognition is used. |
| Movement patterns in video | Aggregate foot-traffic counts or heat maps | Not necessarily; analytics can measure movement without identifying shoppers. |
| Facial biometrics | Recognizing or matching a person | Yes, identification or matching is the point of this use. |
| Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular signals from devices | Device-based tracking, potentially including movement patterns | It tracks signals associated with devices, not optical images from cameras. |
The FTC’s 2015 explanation described retailers using cameras for foot-traffic analytics and heat maps, and said such analytics typically did not use facial recognition at the time. That is a historical description, not a measure of current retail practice. The FTC also treated mobile-device signal monitoring as a separate form of tracking. FTC: When retailers use cameras to track you
What you can do before or during a shopping trip
- Check for notices. Look near store entrances and camera-equipped displays for signs explaining surveillance or facial recognition. If a notice is missing or vague, ask staff for the store’s privacy contact and policy.
- Ask what the system does. You can ask: “Do these cameras only record security video, or do they analyze movement or use facial recognition?” Also ask whether biometric data is created or retained, how long data is kept, and where to find the privacy contact or complaint process.
- Ask what choices are available. Ask whether you can avoid or opt out of the relevant use. Do not assume every retailer offers an opt-out or that an opt-out prevents collection from the outset; the FTC’s 2015 article noted that some collection could occur before an opt-out was applied.
- Decide based on the answer. If the explanation is unsatisfactory and the choice matters to you, consider another retailer or, where feasible, avoid the specific area using the technology. That may not avoid other cameras elsewhere in the store.
These are practical questions, not a guarantee of a particular answer or remedy. Available privacy rights and choices depend on where you are and how the data is used.
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Why phone settings do not disable store cameras
Turning off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or using airplane mode, may affect some collection of wireless signals from your device. Those settings do not prevent a store camera from recording what is visible. Camera surveillance and device-signal tracking are separate systems, so a phone setting is not a camera opt-out.
Facial recognition raises distinct risks
Facial recognition is not interchangeable with ordinary video recording or aggregate movement analysis: it is intended to identify or match a person. An inaccurate match can have real consequences. In a December 2023 announcement, the FTC described allegations that Rite Aid used AI facial recognition in hundreds of stores from 2012 through 2020, generating false positive matches that led to consumers being followed, searched, or accused. The agency described its order at that time as proposed and awaiting court approval; this case is an enforcement example, not evidence that all retailers use the technology. FTC: Rite Aid facial-recognition announcement
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Rules and guidance depend on where you shop
There is no single global notice or opt-out rule established by these sources. The FTC’s 2012 staff report recommended clear notice before consumers encounter facial-recognition-enabled digital signs and meaningful choice for certain uses. It discussed avoiding the sign or area as one possible form of choice, while also noting concerns about making people avoid a venue. The report is agency staff guidance for businesses, not a universal legal entitlement for shoppers. FTC staff report on facial-recognition best practices
For Australia, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) announced updated guidance on July 29, 2026, for entities covered by the Australian Privacy Principles considering facial recognition in high-volume, publicly accessible physical spaces such as retail shops. The OAIC said the update reflected the Bunnings Group matter, involving use of facial recognition in 62 stores from 2018 to 2021, and that each proposed deployment still needs assessment under the Act. This is Australian guidance, not a rule that applies everywhere. OAIC guidance update
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The OAIC also reported that the share of Australians who considered facial recognition one of their biggest privacy risks rose from 27% in 2023 to 45% in 2026, based on its Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey. Those figures describe public attitudes, not how many stores use cameras or facial recognition. OAIC survey announcement
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Claims to treat cautiously
- “Airplane mode stops camera tracking”: phone settings do not turn off store cameras.
- “Every store uses facial recognition”: the sources do not establish that.
- “A mask, privacy glasses, camera detector, or RF-blocking product guarantees protection”: the available sources do not establish reliable prevention by these products.
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