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  Australia probes retail giants Bunnings and Kmart over customer 'faceprints' Australia's privacy watchdog has launched an investigation into two retail giants over their use of facial recognition technology. Hardware firm Bunnings and department store Kmart collect customers' "faceprints" in some locations. Consumer advocacy group Choice says the technology is unethical, invasive and being used without proper consent or reasoning. Both retailers defended its use as an anti-theft and safety measure. The Australian Information Commissioner said her office had opened an investigation to determine whether they had breached privacy laws. Australian retailers can only collect sensitive biometric information if "reasonably necessary" for their operations and they have "clear consent", Angelene Falk said. "While deterring theft and creating a safe environment are important goals, using high privacy impact technologies in stores carries signi...