Bunnings tested out facial recognition technology in 63 of its New South Wales locations between November 6, 2018 and November 30, 2021, in what they said was a bid to deter a rash of crime. The national privacy laws regard facial data as highly sensitive biometric information.
The first tranche of privacy reforms introduced to Parliament provides the OAIC with new penalties for data violators and a new privacy code for children, along with the addition of a new statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy.
Australia’s Privacy Act 1988 has been under review since 2020 as lawmakers seek to modernize it. Google and Meta have weighed in with arguments for the benefits of ad-supported apps and cloud services.