The use of facial recognition technology in Bunnings stores across Victoria and NSW over three years was a breach of privacy and consent laws, Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind has ruled. The landmark decision on breaches to the Privacy Act follows a two-year investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which found that… Read more »
The office of the Australian Information Commissioner announced this week it would be taking no further action against facial recognition company Clearview AI. This marked a significant victory for one of the most controversial technology companies in the world. In 2021, Australia’s privacy regulator ruled Clearview AI broke privacy laws for scraping millions of photographs… Read more »
Automated facial recognition is becoming widespread in Australia. The technology has already been used by retail outlets, sport stadiums and casinos around the country. And in November, the Australian government’s digital identification system will be expanded, after new laws passed parliament earlier in the year. As the technology becomes less expensive and more powerful, it… Read more »
The Australian government will continue to authorise a one-to-many facial recognition system connected to the national ID database but is limiting its use to helping identify “shielded persons” like undercover police and protected witnesses. Once referred to as ‘the Capability’, the Department of Home Affairs built a system for the public and private sector to verify people’s… Read more »
Kmart and Bunnings have temporarily halted their use of facial recognition in stores pending an investigation from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). It was last month revealed that Wesfarmers-owned Kmart and Bunnings, and whitegoods retailer the Good Guys, quietly began using facial recognition in some stores without express consent from their customers. While… Read more »
Well-known Australian retailers are using facial recognition technology to identify customers who enter selected stores, an investigation by consumer advocacy group CHOICE has found. Hardware giant Bunnings, Kmart and The Good Guys are capturing facial recognition data. CHOICE asked 25 Australian retailers whether they use facial recognition technology, and analysed their privacy policies. Those three… Read more »
https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2022/government-building-national-facial-recognition-database.html
Automation technology startup Elenium Automation has banked another A$10 million as it looks to expand its biometric venue access solutions. The round was led by Alex Waislitz’s Thorney Investment Group as a new investor, supported by existing backers NRMA and Acorn Capital. The Melbourne-based startup previously banked $30 million 15 months ago from NRMA and… Read more »
Australian police agencies are reportedly using a private, unaccountable facial recognition service that combines machine learning and wide-ranging data-gathering practices to identify members of the public from online photographs. The service, Clearview AI, is like a reverse image search for faces. You upload an image of someone’s face and Clearview searches its database to find… Read more »
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