A CHOICE investigation this week has revealed that facial recognition technology (FRT) is in use at major sports and entertainment stadiums in Australia.
A need for reform
Key points of the investigation include:
FRT, which uses cameras to collect people’s biometric information, is widely in use in venues around Australia
the companies operating the venues are not being transparent with the public about their use of FRT or the sensitive, biometric data they are collecting
these issues magnify the urgent need for law reform in this area.
HTI Responsible Technology Policy Specialist, Lauren Perry, was quoted in the report, emphasising the risk of harms for widespread deployment of FRT upon large groups of unsuspecting Australians:
We're talking here about semi-public places where community members, including a lot of children, gather and watch sports events and entertainment. In this context, the risks of using surveillance technologies to our civil and human rights really appear to outweigh any benefits to the sorts of security incidents you'd potentially be seeing at an event like a sporting match
Facial Recognition Being Used At Stadiums Across Australia: The Project
The lack of simple, up-front information provided by these venues, and inability for patrons to opt-out from being scanned by FRT, also highlight the flaws with traditional ‘conditions of entry’ notices.
Everyday Australians really aren't going to be aware of the use of these technologies when they turn up at a venue. Any affected individual who's coming in contact with facial recognition must have the opportunity to provide or withhold free and informed consent prior to their exposure to the technology
Ultimately, CHOICE’s investigation proves the need for urgent regulation of FRT in Australia.
Last year, HTI published a world-leading report, outlining a Model Law for facial recognition. This report responds to growing calls for reform from leading voices in civil society, the private sector, government and academic experts. This model law would protect against harmful uses of facial recognition, while also fostering innovation for public benefit. HTI urges the Federal Attorney-General to lead this pressing and important reform process.