Hon Paul Goldsmith
Minister of Justice

The Government is welcoming a report which shows facial recognition technology is an effective way of combatting retail crime, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“The Privacy Commission today announced it has found the live facial recognition technology model trialled by Foodstuffs North Island, is compliant with the Privacy Act.

“It found the technology is effective at reducing harmful behaviour towards retailers, especially serious violent incidents.

“This is great news for businesses that are considering using the technology as a means to protect their livelihoods.

“The report notes that privacy concerns must be carefully safeguarded.

“I expect our Ministerial Advisory Group will continue to look at this technology as an option to be used more widely and engage with the sector on it.

“I’ll be encouraging the MAG to take this report into serious consideration.”

© Scoop Media