Australian Supermarkets Are Testing Face-Scanning Technology on Shoppers
Coles and Woolworths have confirmed trials of facial recognition software in their stores. Privacy advocates say collecting biometric data from grocery shoppers crosses a line.
Key points
- Coles and Woolworths both confirmed in 2024 that they have tested facial recognition technology in Australian supermarkets.
- Both chains say the technology is being explored to reduce retail crime, including physical aggression toward staff.
- Privacy advocates warn the trials are normalising mass biometric surveillance of ordinary shoppers.
- No Australian federal law currently bans retailers from collecting shoppers' facial data for loss-prevention purposes.
You went to buy groceries. A camera may have scanned your face.
Coles and Woolworths, Australia's two largest supermarket chains, confirmed this week that they have trialled facial recognition technology in their stores. The system works by capturing a shopper's face and converting it into a unique numerical code, called a biometric, that can be stored and checked against a database. Both companies said they are weighing whether to roll the technology out more broadly, citing retail crime and the safety of staff.
What exactly does this technology do?
Facial recognition software analyses the geometry of a person's face and creates a digital fingerprint unique to that individual. If a store flags someone as a known shoplifter or an aggressor, the system can alert staff the moment that person walks in, before anything happens.
That capability is genuinely useful for security teams. The problem privacy researchers raise is what happens to the data collected from every other shopper who walks through the door, including the millions who have never done anything wrong.
Should ordinary shoppers be worried?
Yes, to a measured degree. Unlike a loyalty card you choose to sign up for, facial recognition collects data passively. You do not opt in. You may not know it is happening. Guardian Australia first reported the consumer alarm that followed the supermarkets' confirmation, and the response from privacy advocates was sharp.
Critics argue the practice normalises the idea that entering a shop means consenting to having your face recorded and stored by a private company. Once that data exists, questions follow: How long is it kept? Who can access it? Could it be shared with insurers, law enforcement, or sold if the company is acquired?
Australia's Privacy Act covers some of this ground, but enforcement against large retailers collecting biometric data for loss-prevention has not been tested in this specific context.
| Retailer | Technology status | Stated reason |
|---|---|---|
| Coles | Trialled, under review | Retail crime, staff safety |
| Woolworths | Trialled, under review | Retail crime, staff safety |
What can shoppers do right now?
In practice, options are limited. You cannot easily opt out of a camera system that operates at the door of a store you need to use. What you can do is contact the retailer directly and ask for their biometric data retention policy in writing. Under Australian privacy law, companies must tell you what personal information they hold about you if you ask.
If you believe your biometric data has been collected without proper disclosure, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
The broader question, whether collecting face data from millions of innocent shoppers is proportionate to the goal of catching a small number of bad actors, is one regulators will need to answer. Retailers have the capability. Whether they have the right is still very much open.
