THE RISE AND RISE OF FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY
Facial recognition technology usage in New Zealand is increasing across both the public and private sectors including by government departments, policing, banking, travel, security and customer tracking.
And research released at the end of 2020 has found that this increasing usage has impacts on human rights, such as privacy, freedom of expression, the right to peaceful protest and the right to be free from discrimination.
The research project, led by Associate Professor Nessa Lynch with Dr Marcin Betkier, both from the Faculty of Law, at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, also highlights the current regulation gap in New Zealand. Their report makes 15 recommendations that aim to inform governments how best to manage the risks of the use of FRT.
“If this regulation gap isn’t plugged soon, the impacts on human rights – such as privacy, freedom of expression, the right to peaceful protest, and the right to be free from discrimination – are potentially extensive,” says Lynch in a statement.
The research, entitled , involved a stock-take of the use of FRT here and in comparable countries,
