Coles and Woolworths test facial recognition technology in Australian stores
Australian supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths have tested facial recognition technology for potential deployment in their stores to combat retail crime and staff safety concerns. The Privacy Commission has cautioned retailers against deploying the technology, and privacy advocates have raised concerns about the surveillance implications and lack of customer notification.
What happened
Coles and Woolworths have tested facial recognition technology that they are considering installing in their Australian stores to crack down on retail crime including aggression towards staff.
Neither supermarket chain disclosed which company provided the software they tested, and both stated they had not made a final decision on whether to proceed with rollout.
Reported impact
Consumer privacy advocates raised alarm over the trials, with concerns that the technology means every person entering a supermarket would have their face scanned and their personal biometric data recorded.
The Privacy Commission warned that retailers do not have an open invitation to use facial recognition technology, following the revelations of the testing.
Index analysis
Dr Jason Pallant, a marketing expert at RMIT University, described the trials as posing a 'security versus privacy dilemma', noting that the solution requires transparency and educating consumers about how the technology works.
Facial recognition technology captures images of people's faces from video cameras and stores unique faceprints that can be compared with watch lists of known aggressive or banned people to reduce violence in stores.
Governance controls
In February, an administrative review tribunal reversed a 2024 ruling by the Privacy Commissioner that found Bunnings breached privacy by scanning customer faces; however the tribunal agreed Bunnings had not properly notified customers their faces were being scanned.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.