Author: Nicholas Xavier Dynon, Doctoral Candidate, Centre for Defence & Security Studies, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

Facial recognition technology is becoming more widely used, but this has not been matched by wider acceptance from the public. Controversies continue to hit the media, with both public and private sector organisations frequently outed for flawed deployments of the technology. The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner is currently evaluating the results of retailer Foodstuff North Island’s trial of live facial recognition in its stores. The commissioner is also considering a potential code on the use of biometrics that would govern the use of people’s unique physical characteristics to identify them. But as facial recognition becomes more common, public acceptance of…