Overt Live Facial Recognition Trial - Update
The Western Australian Government has provided an update on its overt live facial recognition trial, signaling that the program is actively underway and being monitored for evaluation.
Why this matters: Live facial recognition in public spaces means a camera can identify you by name, in real time, without you doing anything wrong. 'Overt' means signs are posted — but most people do not read signs, and posting a notice is not the same as giving consent. The real stakes here are whether this trial leads to permanent infrastructure. Governments rarely build surveillance systems and then choose not to use them. Watch for what the evaluation criteria are, who sees the data, and what happens to it after the trial ends.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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