Australian privacy watchdog updates facial-recognition guidance after Bunnings ruling
Australia's privacy regulator has updated its guidance on facial recognition technology following a ruling against hardware retailer Bunnings, which had used the technology in its stores. The updated guidance reflects lessons from that enforcement action and is aimed at organizations considering or currently using facial recognition.
Why this matters: Bunnings scanned the faces of ordinary shoppers without most of them knowing. The regulator found that was a privacy violation, and now it is telling other businesses where the line sits. That matters because facial recognition in retail is not rare. If you have walked into a large store in Australia, you may have been scanned. This guidance tells companies what they cannot do going forward, but it also tells you what your rights were all along. The real test is whether organizations take it seriously before the next enforcement action, not after.
Who should care: Lawyers · Compliance · General readers · Privacy officers · Policy
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