Headlines

Kmart Among 3 Retailers Under Fire for Use of Facial Recognition Tech

One of the them is accused of blacklisting customers using “Orwellian” and “chilling” tactics

Published

2 weeks ago

August 1, 2022

VMSD Staff

Kmart and hardware retailer Bunnings Warehouse are being investigated by the Australian government for the use of facial recognition technology in their stores, The Guardian reports.

The two companies have halted their use of the tech amid the inquiry, which was prompted after consumer group Choice’s own investigation about the deployment of facial recognition CCTV among Australia’s 25 largest retailers.

Separately, British grocery chain Southern Co-op is also drawing heat for its use of the technology, Fortune magazine writes.

A privacy group called Big Brother Watch filed a complaint with the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office, accusing the chain of blacklisting customers without due process and describing its security tactics as “Orwellian” and “chilling.”

Defending its use of facial recognition tech, Bunnings Managing Director Mike Schneider told The Guardian it bans unruly and violent customers, but “a ban isn’t effective if it’s hard to enforce. Facial recognition gives us a chance to identify when a banned person enters a store so we can support our team to handle the situation before it escalates.”

Read more at The Guardian.

click to Comment(Comment)

Up Next

Ghost Kitchen Company Bags $100 Million from Big-Name Investors

Don't Miss

Faster Shipping Is Target’s Goal with New Sortation Centers

VMSD Staff

Drawing on more than 120 years of history serving the retail design market, VMSD magazine provides retail professionals with the most up-to-date, innovative retail design ideas and industry news through its industry-leading magazine, website, social media channels and bulletins.

Embracing Whole-Brained Thinking in the Design Journey

Strategy needs creative, and creative needs strategy—yep, having both is really the only way of unifying all disciplines with a common vernacular with an eye toward building a strong creative vision that is foundational to the processes. Hear from Bevan Bloemendaal, former VP, Global Environments & Creative Services at Timberland, how to connect the dots between disciplines, claiming and creating a clear differentiation for the brand and ensuring that any asset (experience, product, ad, store, office, home, video, game) is created with intention.