Australia’s two largest supermarket chains have confirmed they conducted early tests of facial recognition technology as part of efforts against retail crime, though neither has said whether the systems will reach their stores.
Coles distinguished its work from a trial. “Coles has not done a trial using this technology,” a spokesperson told the ABC, describing instead “a small, one-off, controlled proof-of-concept test” that used no customer or team member information or data. The company said no decision has been made about deployment and that it does not currently use facial recognition in stores.
Woolworths tested the technology in its New Zealand office. Its spokesperson did not address how the testing was conducted or whether it would reach Australian stores, saying instead that keeping staff and customers safe “is the most important thing we do” and that stores still see daily aggression and conflict incidents, including weapons being presented.
The tests follow a legal shift. In February the Administrative Review Tribunal found Bunnings could use facial recognition in limited circumstances to address retail crime and protect staff, partially overturning the privacy commissioner’s 2024 breach finding against the hardware chain. In July the privacy commissioner published updated guidance on facial recognition in retail spaces.
The Australian Retail Council backed the testing. Chief executive Chris Rodwell said retail workers face “unacceptable levels of violence, threats, intimidation and abuse in stores” and that facial recognition can help identify known high-harm repeat offenders as they enter, “allowing staff to take appropriate action before another violent or threatening incident occurs.” He said retailers are taking time to align any rollout with the privacy commissioner’s guidelines.
Survey data from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association, drawn from nearly 3,000 retail workers, found 34 percent did not feel safe at work, 88 percent had experienced verbal abuse and 25 percent physical violence over a twelve-month period. Fifty-nine percent had been abused by the same customer more than once. Both chains said they would continue to investigate initiatives to keep workers and customers safe.
Retail deployments of the technology have drawn scrutiny elsewhere in recent days, with Sainsbury’s pausing facial recognition at a London store after a customer was wrongly ejected.
Sources: ABC News
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By Ali Nassar-Smith
