Australian Government Rejects Need To Get A Warrant

A couple of months ago, new legislation was introduced by lawmakers in Australia that was seeking to establish a new facial recognition system in the country. That system would be used to match photographs of people against identities that had been collected and stored from various federal agencies.

Critics of the newly proposed legislation say that it will help move Australia forward into a new era of total surveillance.

And there has been ongoing debate over the proposed changes, with many civil liberties and privacy advocates understandably concerned about the danger that this project might pose. Many have called for the new changes to be rejected by lawmakers.

Last month, one of the controversial bills, Identity-Matching Services Bill2018, was sent to a committee for inquiry and they are expected to report on the bill sometime in May. The other bill is the Australian Passports Amendment Bill 2018.

Critics have called for the government to include warrants in their new facial recognition procedures with the two new proposed laws.

However, the government has insisted that there isn't such a need. And that having to get a warrant would cause unnecessary delays, you see. They insist that the current safeguards in place are legitimate and that any specific stipulation for obtaining a warrant isn't required.

Human rights lawyers in Australia have signaled their concern for the proposed changes and they suggest that the public isn't being allowed adequate consultation on the changes.

They have suggested that if implemented, the changes might pose a substantial threat and infringement upon the privacy rights of individuals in the region.

According to the president for Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR), Kerry Weste:

“This calls into question the constitutional basis of the legislation, and demonstrates that its impact upon the human right to privacy is disproportionate. Further, despite references in the ‘Identity-matching Services Bill 2018’ to the application of the ‘Australian Privacy Principles,’ in our view, the bill gives rise to serious misgivings regarding the purposes for which identity can be used, who can access the information, how they will keep the identity information they hold about individuals secure, and whether ‘consent’ from individuals involved will effectively be obtained by coercion,”

It's alleged that if passed, the bills would establish a facial recognition system that might not only be available to a variety of government agencies, but it might also be available to commercial organizations as well.

The core activities of the program would allegedly be monitored by the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DVS).

The DVS has insisted that commercial organizations would first need to seek the consent of the individual, before going to match any images by using the facial recognition system. However, it's already been alleged that they've had to cut ties with certain agencies after they were found to be violating their terms and conditions.

The department still maintains that the purpose of the bill is to help facilitate access to information for a myriad of government agencies and other potential organizations. And for safety and security, as always.

Facial recognition systems are expanding to air travel in Australia, among other regions worldwide. Sydney Airport is expected to start trialing biometric testing sometime in May; allowing travelers to access the plane without showing their passport.

As one airport chief put it, your face is going to be your new boarding pass.

It's expected that this sort of procedure will become far more commonplace in the future. Over 60 percent of terminals are estimated to be looking to invest in this sort of technology over the next couple of years.

There are already a growing number of countries that have been looking to fund and implement these sorts of changes. Airports, law enforcement agencies, and other organizations, will be looking to increasingly utilize facial recognition systems in the near future.

Pics:
Pixabay

Sources:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/kids-news/australian-airports-testing-facial-recognition-technology-to-replace-physical-passport-checks/news-story/646291370710d76263225a326c2fbde0
https://www.zdnet.com/article/legislation-for-australian-automated-facial-recognition-enters-parliament/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/warranted-access-to-face-matching-system-thrown-out-by-home-affairs/
http://www.planetbiometrics.com/article-details/i/7027/desc/australian-govt-rejects-warrant-for-face-matching-system/
https://www.australasianlawyer.com.au/news/lawyers-sound-alarm-over-proposed-identitymatching-laws-248085.aspx
https://www.computerworld.com.au/article/636091/government-rejects-warrant-requirement-face-id-system/
http://www.traveller.com.au/sydney-airport-biometric-trial-for-qantas-flights-no-passport-required-h0wgzn
http://www.transportsecurityworld.com/biometric-airport-checks-to-become-commonplace

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