New ZealandRetail and e-commerce2024 – ongoingFoodstuffs North Island
Supermarket facial-recognition safety trial
Foodstuffs North Island's facial-recognition trial produced 1,208 confirmed matches under regulator-reviewed safeguards
Problem
Foodstuffs North Island sought to reduce serious retail crime. Facial recognition also created privacy risks because it scanned everyone entering participating stores.
Approach
The cooperative trialled facial recognition in 25 supermarkets from February to September 2024. The system compared facial features with a watchlist. The Privacy Commissioner investigated the trial and found that its safeguards made the privacy intrusion acceptable under the Privacy Act.
Results
Takeaway
The compliance finding applied to the trial's specific safeguards. The regulator required further improvements before permanent use or expansion.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Retail and e-commerce
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Computer vision
- Adoption
- Vendor solution
- Goal
- Quality and risk
- Evidence
- Regulator, audit or court
Sources
Source summaries
The Commissioner found that the trial complied with the Privacy Act under its safeguards. The inquiry recorded 1,742 alerts and 1,208 confirmed matches, and identified changes needed before expansion.
Full details are in the original sources.
