Privacy commissioner begins inquiry into facial recognition technology at Foodstuffs North Island stores

The inquiry will also look at how effective FRT is at reducing harmful behaviour and whether it makes a significant difference to the incidence of retail crime.

“Using facial recognition technology to reduce harmful behaviour in supermarkets raises significant privacy risks and the trial is itself not without risk. That is why I will be paying close attention to the privacy safeguards being used during the trial using my Inquiry powers,” said Webster.

“The use of this technology could have significant implications in retail in Aotearoa New Zealand. There is no known other current use of facial recognition technology in the retail sector in New Zealand. Its use generally across New Zealand to scan and identify an individual in real time and compare them against a database of faces is rare.”

Typically, FRT is used to verify people’s identities when they access a device or service, not in an essential public service like a supermarket. Consumer NZ has concerns about the use of FRT at supermarkets, given many New Zealanders don’t have the choice about where they shop and hence whether they share their data.

“Unlike CCTV, facial recognition technology captures data and uses an algorithm to identify individuals based on facial features. It’s like being fingerprinted at the door, the level of biometric data that is being collected about your face. It’s not particularly visible to shoppers which is a concern,” said Jon Duffy, Consumer NZ chief executive.

The privacy commissioner would like to hear from the public, particularly customers of the participating trial stores, about whether and how the trial is affecting them. You can provide comment at [email protected].