Facial recognition: Retailers warned over technology used to nab shoplifters

Retailers are sick of shoplifters stealing goods and are using facial recognition technology to catch them. Now a Tasmanian expert has warned about use of the information collected.

Major retailers need to ensure they responsibly use facial recognition technologies to catch shoplifters, a Tasmanian privacy expert warns.

The Tasmanian business lobby also wants safeguards on the use of the new technology.

Terry Aulich, who chairs the London-based International Biometrics Institute’s privacy experts group, said retailers needed to improve their privacy policies.

He said he understood retailers may be concerned about theft and “objectionable behaviour” but all customers needed to know that they were being recorded and the reasons for that recording.

“Burying that information in a small sign near the door or having it on page three of their privacy statement is not good enough,” Mr Aulich said.

“I’m concerned that some retailers might use CCTV images and circulate them online accusing a customer of theft.

Biometric facial recognition technology is being used by retailers to catch shoplifters.

“The retailer had better make sure that they do not accuse the wrong person because an innocent customer would be perfectly entitled to sue for defamation.”

Biometrics is the term used to describe any system that captures the image or physical properties of a person.

The most common biometrics include fingerprints, voice recognition, DNA and face recognition based on CCTV.

Mr Aulich said in recent weeks some retailers had introduced face recognition in order to prevent shoplifting and to recognise customers who have been banned or who were “persons of interest”.

Biometrics were, he said, much more intimate and private than an address, phone number, email address or full names.

“In capturing a person’s image through face recognition, for example, the retailer is capturing something that is private and is part of a person’s fixed, unchanging identity,” Mr Aulich said.

“All care should be taken with that personal data.”

Terry Aulich wants care taken in the use of facial recognition technologies. Picture: Richard Jupe

He said the guidelines on biometrics emphasised that procedures must be in place including getting the customer’s informed consent, providing information about how the biometric will be used and stored and having a complains procedure.

Mr Aulich said biometrics had both negative and positive uses.

“Biometrics such as face recognition and fingerprints have given refugees new identities that stay with them when paper based documents go missing,” he said.

“In the past 12 months over two million biometric passports have been issued in Australia, all of which enables easier and safer international travel.

‘On the other hand there are repressive countries like China that have used facial recognition to identify and grade citizens on their social behaviour.”

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Michael Bailey agrees on the need to monitor biometrics use.

“This debate will become increasingly important as the technology becomes more prevalent,” Mr Bailey said.

“The key concern is respecting everyone’s right to privacy while also understanding that this technology assists businesses in important areas such as security.

“We also need to have a conversation about how the information is used.”

Originally published as Facial recognition: Retailers warned over technology used to nab shoplifters