Despite Bunnings' justification for the technology, incidents of abuse, threats, and assaults against staff increased by 50% in the last year, raising significant safety concerns.

Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind criticized the use of FRT as overly intrusive, stating that it violated customers' privacy rights even though it aimed to reduce theft and violence.

From November 2018 to November 2021, the facial recognition system operated in 63 stores across Victoria and New South Wales, capturing sensitive biometric data.

Commissioner Kind rejected Bunnings' claims that the collection of personal information was necessary for safety, asserting that proper consent and notification were lacking.

Consumer group Choice welcomed the ruling as a landmark decision that could influence future use of facial recognition technology in Australia and called for updates to privacy laws.

Managing Director Mike Schneider argued that 70% of incidents in stores are linked to repeat offenders, emphasizing the need for quick identification and removal of such individuals.

The OAIC has mandated that Bunnings cease its privacy-invasive practices and destroy all collected personal information.

Bunnings released a CCTV compilation showing severe assaults on staff, including incidents of harassment and threats with weapons, amid backlash over its use of facial recognition.

Critics argue that Bunnings' approach assumes all customers are potential criminals, highlighting the need for customer consent in data collection practices.

The Australian privacy commissioner has ruled that Bunnings breached the privacy of potentially hundreds of thousands of Australians by using facial recognition technology (FRT) to scan customers entering its stores.

The ruling highlighted that Bunnings failed to notify individuals about the collection of their information and did not provide necessary details in its privacy policy.

In response to the ruling, Bunnings plans to appeal, asserting that FRT is essential for protecting staff from violence and crime.