Kmart's use of facial recognition unlawful, Australian regulator finds (update*)
By Saloni Sinha ( September 18, 2025, 01:49 GMT | Insight) -- Australian retailer Kmart violated privacy laws by using facial-recognition technology that captured images of customers without their consent across 28 of its stores between June 2020 and July 2022, the privacy regulator ruled. In a statement accompanying the publication of its determination on Thursday, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner said that Kmart had used facial-recognition technology in an attempt to tackle refund fraud. The privacy commissioner found that deploying the FRT system to prevent fraud was of “limited utility.”Australian retailer Kmart violated privacy laws by using facial-recognition technology, or FRT, that captured images of customers without their consent across 28 of its stores between June 2020 and July 2022, the privacy regulator has ruled....
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