How could facial recognition technology differ from CCTV?

While security cameras are a regular feature in many supermarkets, new technology could change the face of how businesses monitor customers. 

Facial recognition technology (FRT), which scans the features of a person's face, is one of the big talking points in this realm. 

Some people already use it to unlock their phones but the prospect of it being used by supermarkets has raised privacy fears.

What is facial recognition technology?

It goes beyond taking a photo.

Instead, think of it more as a scan that creates a detailed map of someone's face. 

It looks for distinct features of a person's face, like the distance between eyes or the distance between your chin and forehead, and uses this information to build what's called a biometric template. 

"The biometric template is then compared against one or more pre-extracted biometric templates for the purpose of facial verification or identification," the office of the Australian Information Commissioner's (OAIC) website says.

Where is it being used?

One of the most obvious examples of facial recognition being used is at Australia's international airports, where SmartGates use the technology to check a person's identity against their passport. 

Another use is in smartphones, which allow users to unlock their devices with a facial scan instead of manually entering a password. 

But there is the possibility it could become more widespread. 

Earlier this year, the Administrative Review Tribunal ruled that Bunnings was reasonably entitled to use facial recognition technology in its stores, which experts said could pave the way for other stores to follow suit. 

Bunnings' website says it is preparing to introduce the technology into Australian stores in accordance with the ruling, with a spokesperson for the store confirming FRT has not been used since a trial in 2021. 

Last week both Coles and Woolworths confirmed they had tested facial recognition technology as a means of combating retail crime, but not on Australian shoppers.

Coles said its "small, one-off, controlled proof-of-concept test" did not use customer data, while the ABC understands the Woolworths trial was conducted in its New Zealand office.

Coles said it was not currently using facial recognition technology, while Woolworths did not address questions about whether it would be implementing the technology in Australia. 

However, both supermarkets said they were looking into improving protection for their customers and staff.

How is it different to CCTV?

Closed-camera television (CCTV) security systems are widespread and can help retailers record instances of shoplifting and abusive behaviour towards staff. 

But facial recognition technology goes a step further.

"CCTV cameras have been in place in stores for many years but it would take security teams manual effort to review and identify people where needed," RMIT's Marketing Technology Lab director Jason Pallant says. 

"The difference here is using software to automatically scan people's faces and identify who they are."

This technology has obvious benefits for in-store security teams, according to Dr Pallant. 

"The primary purpose of this would be security, identifying people who are known to have caused issues or have outstanding police warrants, see them about to walk in and either block the entrance or call security," he says. 

"While this is great to support security it inevitably raises questions about privacy of other shoppers."

These concerns were echoed by some ABC readers who expressed fears on social media about how facial recognition technology could potentially be misused by retail businesses. 

"It's got nothing to do with retail crime, it's about collecting data on individuals and their habits to better manipulate and control them," one reader said on Facebook. 

"They are just getting ready for facial recognition to combine with your personal data to determine the price of items at the check-out," another said. 

These are concerns businesses will have contend with if they utilise the technology. 

"While no decision has been made about the use of this technology, we absolutely reject any claim that this technology would be used to monitor team or regular shoppers, or for marketing or pricing purposes," a Coles spokesperson told the ABC. 

What are the rules about facial recognition technology?

The Privacy Act doesn't explicitly ban or permit the use of facial recognition technology, guidance on the OAIC website says. 

That's because the act is "technology-neutral". 

"Entities can use FRT in accordance with the Act in certain circumstances, provided their use complies with the Australian Privacy Principles," the OAIC guidance says. 

New rules are coming into effect in December about "automated decisions", which will require entities to add more information to their privacy policies if they use a computer program to use personal information to make decisions. 

"In considering the application of this obligation in the context of FRT, entities must consider whether their use of FRT may result in decision making which significantly affects individuals' rights or interests," the OAIC says.

Advocacy group calls for moratorium 

The head of policy for advocacy group Digital Rights Watch Tom Solston says Australia's existing privacy laws are "not sufficient to stop corporations from using facial recognition to bolster their business models at the expense of our privacy and dignity".

"We need a moratorium on its use until our legislators can draft appropriately privacy-protecting legislation to keep us safe from it," Mr Solston says. 

He points out concerns about the accuracy of this kind of technology and how it could result in innocent people being unfairly targeted after being wrongly identified as criminals. 

There are also questions about the potential for data to be misused or how it could become an attractive target of cyber criminals. 

"There are very few responsible uses of facial recognition, and none that involve its use in public places," Mr Solston says.