Most Australians support the use of facial recognition to access government services but less than half trust government departments in the use of the technology, according to a report by Monash University and the ANU.

The report follows a national survey of 2,006 people over April and May of this year which aimed to paint a picture of the Australian public’s understanding of, opinions on, and attitudes towards facial recognition technology (FRT).

Just over 57 per cent of respondents said they supported the use of facial recognition technology for accessing government services, with almost a fifth opposing this type of use.

Fourteen per cent said they had used FRT to access government services, and 42 per cent said they trusted government departments in the use of FTR.

Trust in government use of FRT was lower than for police and health care organisations, but higher than schools, workplaces, entertainment venues, shops and tech companies like google and FB, which came in last in the trust stakes.

Concern about deep fakes

The survey showed the third biggest concern was around the misuse of facial data by cybercriminals to create ‘deep fakes’ of people’s faces to access sensitive sites, including government portals.

More than 70 per cent of respondents believed FRT data collected for commercial purposes shouldn’t be linked to data collected by government.

Facial recognition technology (FRT) is likely to play an increasingly important role in Australia in the name of security and convenience, with NSW  already incorporating facial recognition technology into its digital ID system, and the federal government’s recently passed digital ID schemes containing provisions for it.

The federal government has already created a comprehensive database of images of known Australians by drawing on existing stored images from passports and drivers’ licenses,  the paper says.

Concerns remain over the potential misuse of the technology by public authorities and private corporations.

Professor Mark Andrejevic

“Concerns remain over the potential misuse of the technology by public authorities and private corporations,” Mark Andrejevic from Monash university and co-authors write.

“The ability to recognise individuals automatically at a distance raises human rights issues such as the right to privacy, and the freedoms of assembly, expression and movement.

“As we face the transition to more widespread uses of the technology, it is important to understand the level of public awareness and concern about the technology in order to ensure that it is deployed in ways that are in accordance with Australian values and commitments.“

Familiarity with FRT relatively low

The survey revealed a relatively low level of familiarity with the technology, how it can be used and potential ‘issues’, highlighting the need for more public education and discussion, the paper concludes.

While nearly everyone (99 per cent) has heard of the term facial recognition, most Australians say they have little knowledge or understanding of what it all means, with only one in four rating themselves as knowing ‘a fair bit’ or ‘a lot’ about FRT.

However, government featured among the types of organisation that respondents had heard used FRT, along with phone companies, tech companies, security and law enforcement.

The researchers make a number of recommendations, including:

1. Raising public awareness about FRT
2. More scrutiny on the action of legislators and government agencies from the media
3. Clear guidelines and frameworks from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
4. The establishment of an independent advisory panel of experts and citizens
5. Rigorous testing and clear standards around technology
6. Avoiding function creep