New Zealand’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) has published its public inquiry into Foodstuffs North Island’s (FSNI) trial of facial recognition (FR) technology.

The OPC’s report, which can be read in full here, confirms that the trial complied with the Privacy Act and acknowledges the strong privacy safeguards the retailer put in place.

FSNI, in response, has outlined its views and next steps.

“Keeping our teams and customers safe is our top priority and that’s been the sole driver behind our six-month long trial of FR that took place last year. Our goal has been to understand whether FR can help reduce harm while respecting people’s privacy,” says the retailer.  

“The OPC undertook a thorough and constructive public inquiry into our trial and has found our use of FR is compliant with the Privacy Act. The OPC also acknowledged the strong privacy safeguards we developed in partnership with their Office. 

“Last year, an independent evaluator found our trial prevented more than 100 serious harm incidents, including assaults, with a 16% reduction in harm being demonstrated. 

“These findings from the OPC and independent evaluator confirm our trial has been a success and that we achieved what we set out to do: demonstrated FR can help reduce harm while respecting people’s privacy.

“We welcome the OPC’s feedback on areas for improvement and will carefully consider their recommendations, including the need to monitor accuracy, before we make any decisions about future permanent use.”