Supermarket giant Woolworths is expanding its use of artificial intelligence technology that captures customers scanning items at self-checkouts in 250 stores across New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland.
“[The technology] is one of a number of initiatives we’ve rolled out across our checkouts to make shopping more convenient and seamless,” the spokesperson said.
“While most customers do the right thing at our self-serve checkouts, we’re all busy, and mistakes can easily happen.”
Through camera footage and AI technology, it will be able to detect when items are not scanned correctly.
This includes when products are left in baskets or trolleys, products aren’t scanned correctly or passing a product through as unrelated.
Woolworths explained that the footage is not viewed live and that any faces and pin pads are blurred, so the customer’s privacy is protected and cannot be identified.
Stores using the technology will also display signage at the front of the store and entrance to the self-checkout area.
Just a Cost-Saving Measure Argues Privacy Advocate
Samantha Floreani, program lead for Digital Rights Watch, said the technology could cause people to feel as though they were “constantly being watched.”
“This kind of normalisation of surveillance makes space for the growing use of invasive technologies in everyday life to access everyday essential services,” she told The Guardian.
“These technologies are framed as an improvement for customers, but in reality, it is punitive use of automation technology to cut costs on staffing for large corporations while treating every customer as a suspect.”
It comes after major Australian retailers Kmart, Bunnings, and The Good Guys faced pushback against the use of facial recognition after they were found to be using it on their customers.
A survey of over 16,000 people conducted by consumer group Choice in July 2022 revealed that 80 percent wanted budget retailer Kmart and hardware chain Bunnings to stop harvesting their personal data during their shopping.“Unfortunately, both Bunnings and Kmart continue to use facial recognition technology on customers at a number of their stores,” Bower said.
In response, Woolworths told Choice that they weren’t using facial recognition technology and “don’t plan to.”
“We know the community is really worried about the use of facial recognition, with some describing it as ‘creepy and invasive,’” consumer data advocate Kate Bower said.
Stronger Privacy Protections
On Feb. 16, the Attorney-General’s department published the final report on its review of the Privacy Act.
“While the digital economy has generated significant benefits, including consumer convenience ... it has also resulted in large amounts of information about people being generated, used, disclosed and stored,” the report said.
The report put forward over 100 recommendations to update the Act to protect Australians in an environment where much of our lives are online.
Digital Rights Watch said the proposals for reform were a welcome step to protecting the right to privacy.
“As digital technologies become ubiquitous and companies seek to accumulate massive amounts of data for profit, our privacy is constantly under threat,” they said.
Floreani said the current privacy regulations were “woefully inadequate, out of date, and not fit for purpose for the technical realities of the modern digital economy.”
“Protecting privacy is an essential component to upholding our democracy, reining in corporate power, and fostering online safety in the digital age,” she said.“Without privacy, it would be extremely hard to enjoy freedom of speech and expression, and hold those in power accountable. Privacy puts power and agency back in the hands of individuals and communities.”
