Bunnings releases shocking CCTV footage of attacks on staff
Bunnings has shared CCTV footage of violent attacks on staff members, after a watchdog found that the store's facial recognition camera breached privacy laws.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has ruled the retail giant breached privacy laws when it used CCTV-linked facial recognition technology to capture the face of every person who entered 63 stores in NSW and Victoria in the three years to November 2021.
Bunnings is set to appeal the ruling, as they explained the cameras were installed to crackdown on shoplifting and violence towards staff in their stores.
Managing director Mike Schneider said, “FRT was trialled at a limited number of Bunnings stores in Victoria and NSW between 2018-2021, with strict controls around its use, with the sole and clear intent of keeping team members and customers safe and preventing unlawful activity.”
“Our use of FRT was never about convenience or saving money but was all about safeguarding our business and protecting our team, customers, and suppliers from violent, aggressive behaviour, criminal conduct and preventing them from being physically or mentally harmed by these individuals,” Schneider said.
“It was not used in isolation but in combination with various other security measures and tools to deliver a safer store environment.”
The company added that about 70 percent of violent attacks were committed by "the same group of people", as Bunnings shared a compilation of clips of the incidents, showing its staff punched, pushed, grabbed and threatened with firearms, knives and hammers in its stores.
“FRT provided the fastest and most accurate way of identifying these individuals and quickly removing them from our stores.”
In her ruling, Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind acknowledged the potential of the technology to protect against crime and violent behaviour, but determined, “However, any possible benefits need to be weighed against the impact on privacy rights, as well as our collective values as a society.”
“Facial recognition technology may have been an efficient and cost-effective option available to Bunnings at the time in its well-intentioned efforts to address unlawful activity, which included incidents of violence and aggression.
“However, just because a technology may be helpful or convenient, does not mean its use is justifiable.”
The ruling found Bunnings had taken the private information of customers without consent, failed to take steps to notify them and had left gaping holes in its privacy policy.
Commissioner Kind said the technology was an intrusive option that interfered with all customers’ privacy, not just high-risk individuals.
“Individuals who entered the relevant Bunnings stores at the time would not have been aware that facial recognition technology was in use and especially that their sensitive information was being collected, even if briefly,” she said.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner said the ruling should be a reminder to businesses about their privacy obligations and has released a privacy guide for companies considering using facial recognition tech.
Image credits: Bunnings