B.C. stores broke privacy laws on facial ID technology, privacy commissioner says

Privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy says 12 Canadian Tire stores around B.C. used facial recognition without telling customers, and violating the province's Personal Information Protection Act.

The information is contained in McEvoy's latest report which shows the stores used facial recognition technology between 2018 and 2021 but removed the systems as soon as they learned four of the outlets were under investigation.

Facial recognition technology captures highly sensitive biometric information that maps the precise and unique mathematical rendering of a human face and McEvoy finds the stores failed to offer a compelling reason to use it.

He is calling on Canadian Tire to develop and maintain a privacy management plan, and he wants the B-C government to change laws to regulate the sale of biometric data and set tougher standards for organizations that use it.