Hardware giant Bunnings breached the privacy of likely hundreds of thousands of Australians through its use of facial recognition technology, the Privacy Commissioner ruled today. Individuals who entered the

The Privacy Commissioner finds Bunnings Warehouse interfered with the privacy of its customers by using facial recognition without consent in 63 of its stores over a three-year period.

The landmark ruling found Bunnings had taken customers' private information without consent, failed to take steps to notify them and had left gaping holes in its privacy policy.

The faces of every person entering 63 stores in Victoria and New South Wales were captured between 2018 and 2021.

Wesfarmers-owned Bunnings, the country's biggest home improvement chain, breached the privacy of thousands of customers by using facial recognition technology without gaining consent, an Australian watchdog has found.