Privacy commissioner launches investigation into use of facial recognition software at Calgary malls

Amanda Stephenson reports:

Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner is launching a formal investigation into the use of facial recognition technology without consent at Calgary malls operated by Cadillac Fairview.

Last month, a shopper at Calgary’s Chinook Centre noticed a browser window — presumably left open in error — on one of the directory screens at Chinook Centre, which suggested the mall was recording information about those who opened the directory. After a photo of the browser window was widely circulated on social media, Cadillac Fairview — a Toronto-based company that operates malls across Canada, including Chinook Centre and Market Mall in Calgary — acknowledged it has been testing facial recognition software to track shoppers’ ages and genders, and the number of people using the directory.

Read more on Calgary Herald.