Australia’s Second-Biggest Appliances Chain Said on Tuesday It Was Pausing a Trial of Facial Recognition Technology in Stores After a Consumer Group Referred It to the Privacy Regulator for Possible Enforcement Action
Telegram Post By Jamie McIntyre
Australia’s second-biggest appliances chain said on Tuesday it was pausing a trial of facial recognition technology in stores after a consumer group referred it to the privacy regulator for possible enforcement action.
Use of the technology by The Good Guys, owned by JB Hi-Fi Ltd, was “unreasonably intrusive” and potentially in breach of privacy laws, the group, CHOICE, told the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
The company took confidentiality of personal information seriously and remains confident it had complied with relevant laws, but decided to pause the trial at this time pending any clarification from the OAIC regarding the use of this technology, a spokesperson for JB Hi-Fi stated.
The Good Guys was named in a complaint alongside Bunnings, Australia’s biggest home improvement chain, and the domestic version of big box retailer Kmart, both of them owned by Wesfarmers Ltd, with total annual sales of about A$25 billion across 800 stores.
