Alliance for Gambling Reform calls for investigation into facial recognition technology

The Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) has put out a call for a moratorium on facial recognition technology (FRT) in Australian alcohol and gambling venues.

The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and the AGR have jointly proposed to every state and territory’s liquor and gaming regulator to impose this immediate temporary prohibition.

According to Carol Bennett, CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, “The gambling industry has a business model based on exploiting vulnerable people, there is no chance that they can be trusted to self-regulate this technology and unless it is independently regulated it will lead to more gambling harm.”

The organisations state their concern for FRT error rates, especially when it comes to bias and identification failure for people of colour, women and people with a disability.

The letter states, “We are gravely concerned about the use of FRT to exclude, isolate, blame and punish people with dependencies, at the cost of other, more effective and system-wide responses.

“We are also concerned about the potential use of FRT data for targeted advertising of addictive products to individuals who are especially vulnerable to the harms that these products can cause.”

The organisations are calling for an explanation for the extent to which FRT is used in alcohol and gambling venues, and are asking to prohibit its use until investigations by the Australian Information Commissioner and the Human Rights Commission have concluded.

Caterina Giorgi, CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), said, “We need to thoroughly scrutinise the use of this invasive technology and ensure that the right checks and balances are in place so that our communities aren’t taken advantage of and that their health and safety is prioritised.”

Liquor and Gaming NSW introduced FRT as part of its regulatory priorities for the second half of 2022.