The rollout of facial recognition technology at every pub and club in New South Wales shows businesses are pushing ahead with collecting biometric information before the law catches up, experts warn.
The New South Wales government introduced new legislation this week allowing the use of facial recognition in pubs and clubs, but no rules have yet been developed to guide the rollout.
Clubs NSW says the scheme, already in use at around 100 licensed venues, is used to combat problem gambling by matching people’s images with those who have signed up for the industry’s self-exclusion system. It says it will. Lobby Group said photos of other people at the venue will be removed.
A spokesperson said the scheme “complies” with the Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles and “includes strict safeguards against the use and disclosure of biometric data.”
While the federal government’s Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) office is enforcing privacy legislation, experts say the growing use of facial recognition technology in Australia is a ‘serious concern’ and current legislation does not address it. It says it wasn’t designed to.
“But there is a hole in the privacy law big enough to drive a truck through,” said Professor Nick Davis of the University of Technology Sydney.
“At the moment, there are no uniform standards for its use.
The club’s announcement this week comes as new legislation was introduced in NSW Parliament giving the industry the power to “collect biometric information from persons on registered club premises”. rice field.
In a speech to parliament, Liquor and Games Minister Kevin Anderson said the use of technology is regulated by the OAIC and that there are a set of rules that guide its use. Other Privacy Protection Mechanisms”.
However, these regulations have not yet been formulated. Her Kate Bower, a consumer data advocate for Choice, says this is a key issue.
“The problem at the moment is that the use of facial recognition technology is exploding.
“Its use is decided on a case-by-case basis. Businesses, not people, can decide the appropriate uses.”
Earlier this year, retailers Bannings and Kmart stopped using facial recognition technology in their stores after a Choice investigation found companies were using it for “security and anti-theft.” announced.
The club says the technology in this case has been employed as a means of mitigating harm, but Mr Bauer said the lack of transparency about its use makes it difficult to know what safeguards are in place. is not possible.
“At this time, we trust Clubs NSW to have performed an adequate privacy assessment and have appropriate systems in place, but there has been no transparency as to how this works.
Last month, Mr Davis, along with Edward Santou, former chairman of the Australian Human Rights Commission, published a new report calling for a model law to address the spread of technology.
Under the model law, any business or government agency that uses facial recognition technology must assess human rights risks and demonstrate why the technology is needed.
Bower said it’s unclear why facial recognition technology is needed to minimize gambling harm.
“If a company wants to implement such privacy-intrusive technologies, it is very important that they consider all the options available, and if there are less invasive options, they should be prioritized.” I think there is,” she said.
“There are many steps that pubs and clubs have to take before taking this very dramatic step. Clearly they were very resistant to implementing cashless gambling cards for their own reasons, but now Even the simple security checks that should have been used seem preferable.”
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