Kmart Found to Have Used Facial Recognition ‘Indiscriminately’ at 28 Stores

Kmart’s use of facial recognition to stop refund fraud was ruled unlawful, with the Privacy Commissioner calling it ‘disproportionate’ surveillance.

The front entrance of a Kmart Australia in Brisbnae, Australia on Aug. 5, 2025. Daniel Y. Teng/The Epoch Times

Retail giant Kmart has been found to have broken Australian privacy laws by secretly scanning and storing the faces of customers in 28 of its stores.

Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind said the retailer’s two-year use of facial recognition technology (FRT) was indiscriminate and disproportionate, exposing “tens or hundreds of thousands” of shoppers to unnecessary risks.