Canadian Tire stores broke privacy laws on facial ID technology, B.C. privacy commissioner says

British Columbia’s privateness commissioner says Canadian Tire shops that used facial recognition know-how didn’t adequately notify their prospects and didn’t get consent to gather the private info.

Michael McEvoy’s report says even when the 4 shops he investigated had obtained permission, they had been nonetheless required to indicate an inexpensive function for gathering the knowledge, which the investigation discovered they didn’t do.

Twelve Canadian Tire shops had been utilizing the know-how for about three years, saying it was wanted for theft and employees security, however the programs had been eliminated and the knowledge destroyed when the commissioner notified the chain that 4 shops had been beneath investigation.

McEvoy says extremely delicate biometric info was captured by the programs between 2018 and 2021, and the shops would have needed to make a compelling case to indicate it was cheap to gather the exact mathematical rendering of every individual’s face.

He says the shops contravened the Personal Information Protection Act and he has made suggestions to the federal government and the shops.

McEvoy says the shops have to develop and preserve a sturdy privateness administration plan, whereas the B.C. authorities ought to change the legal guidelines that regulate the sale of biometric know-how and create extra obligations for organizations that use it.

The commissioner says it’s ironic that there are rules for individuals who promote and set up previous closed-circuit tv programs, however not for individuals who deploy the much more invasive facial recognition know-how.

“I recognize retailers face a challenging environment, however they have to carefully consider the privacy rights of their customers before buying and installing new technologies that gather very sensitive personal information,” he stated in an announcement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed April 20, 2023.