Privacy concerns as Victorian driver's licences uploaded to national face-matching database
A new national facial recognition database will be used to help police crack down on identity theft and other crime but there are Victorian concerns about privacy protections.
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Every Victorian driver’s licence has been uploaded to a new national facial recognition database to help police crack down on identity theft and other crime.
The new system, which is being tested ahead of its use from December, is part of a broader national push to improve identity matching and boost anti-terror security.
Victoria is yet to back all the proposed changes — which are subject to federal legislation — until it gets more guarantees about privacy protections.
This means the driver’s licence database will initially be used only by state authorities, with police to target frauds who create fake documents or multiple identities.
The Andrews Government says the system will also help get dangerous drivers off roads by clamping down on motorists using multiple licences to avoid demerit points or cancellations.
Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings said the new database was part of a national agreement but the state was “ensuring the privacy of Victorians is not compromised”.
“This technology will help keep government agencies ahead of the pack when it comes to combating identity fraud, which is one of the most common and costly crimes facing our state,” Mr Jennings said. Identify theft affects one in four Australians a year and costs about $2.2 billion.
Existing processes for image-based identification checks can be slow, with information shared by agencies taking days or weeks to process.
The new database will be controlled by state authorities and its use monitored by the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Police will only be able to match still images, rather than CCTV.
Mr Jennings said the use of data would be limited to “other Victorian-based government agencies” until the federal government provided assurances about a federal Identity-matching Services Bill currently before parliament.
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That Bill will eventually pave the way for CCTV images to be matched to a driver’s licence and passport photo.
The Andrews Government’s agreement to use the new database comes after it trialled facial recognition technology when processing solar panel rebates in July. Many users of the smartphone-based system struggled using the software, resulting in condemnation from customers.