The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) has published its public inquiry into Foodstuffs' trial of facial recognition technology.
The OPC’s report confirmed that the trial complied with the Privacy Act and acknowledged the strong privacy safeguards put in place.
Keeping teams and customers safe has been the co-op's top priority, and that has been the sole driver behind its six-month-long trial of facial recognition (FR) that took place last year. The goal has been to determine whether FR can help mitigate harm while respecting individuals' privacy.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) undertook a thorough and constructive public inquiry into the trial and has found Foodstuffs' use of FR is compliant with the Privacy Act. The OPC also acknowledged the strong privacy safeguards developed in partnership with the Office.
Last year, an independent evaluator found that the trial had prevented more than 100 serious harm incidents, including assaults, with a 16 percent reduction in harm being demonstrated.
These findings from the OPC and the independent evaluator confirm that the trial has been a success, demonstrating that FR can help reduce harm while respecting people’s privacy.
Retail crime has remained a serious and complex problem across New Zealand.
"Our people continue to be assaulted, threatened, and verbally abused, and we’re committed to doing all we can to create safer retail environments," said Foodstuffs North Island in a media statement.
"Privacy has been at the heart of our trial. We have worked closely with the OPC and listened to their feedback. For example, we ensured images of anyone not on a store’s watchlist were deleted immediately, and that two trained team members verified all alerts before any action was taken."
The co-op has also welcomed the OPC’s feedback on areas for improvement. It will carefully consider their recommendations, including the need to monitor accuracy, before it makes any decisions about future permanent use.
"Finally, thank you to our store teams and security specialists. This was a complex and challenging first for New Zealand, and we’re grateful for the way they approached it with care and commitment."
