A new model law has been proposed to regulate facial recognition technology across Australia after a consumer advocacy group revealed cameras were being used in popular retail outlets.

On Tuesday, UTS’s Human Technology Institute proposed a rule that would impose new obligations not only on companies that develop this technology, but also those that use it.

Watch the video above: Growing concerns over the use of facial recognition technology.

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The Model Law defines three levels of risk and risks to the wider community.

Under the proposed model law, anyone developing or deploying facial recognition technology would first need to assess the level of human rights risk applicable to its use.

That assessment could then be challenged by the public and regulators.

Model law sets a cumulative set of legal requirements, limits and prohibitions based on risk assessment.

Consent will be a key factor in determining that risk factor, said Professor Edward Santou, a former Australian Human Rights Commission member and now co-director of the Human Technology Institute.

“If facial recognition applications are well designed and regulated, they can have real benefits and help identify people efficiently and at scale,” he said.

“This technology is widely used by blind and visually impaired people, making the world more accessible to them.

“This report proposes a risk-based model law for facial recognition. The starting point is to ensure that facial recognition is developed and used in a way that upholds people’s fundamental human rights.” .”

The use of facial recognition technology made headlines in Australia earlier this year when it was revealed that multiple retailers, including Kmart, Bunnings and The Good Guys, were using cameras at their doorsteps.

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE first reported on camera use and said it now supports the new model law.

“In June, CHOICE disclosed that Kmart, Bunnings, and The Good Guys are using facial recognition technology in stores,” said Kate Bower, consumer data advocate for CHOICE. increase.

“The Australian community was shocked and outraged by the use of facial recognition in retail. We know people are genuinely concerned about facial recognition being used in this way.

“Australia’s privacy laws are struggling to keep up with the ever-evolving use of facial recognition technology.

“We need specific, fit-for-purpose legislation to protect consumers from harm that could occur in the absence of adequate and clear regulation.”

Bower said a specific law is needed to regulate the increased use of technology.

“A law specifically for facial recognition technology, such as the one proposed by the Human Technology Institute, would clarify what is allowed and what is not if companies want to use this controversial technology,” she said. I was.

“As the use of facial recognition technology continues to grow, it must be regulated now to prevent further harm to consumers. It’s an opportunity to implement a law so desperately needed in the United States.”

The push for dedicated legislation came in the wake of another cyber breach, namely access to the data of millions of Optus customers believed to be cybercriminals.

The government has cut the bureaucracy that prevented financial institutions from notifying financial institutions immediately in the event of a breach of customer information, and has already addressed that violation with new regulations.