Australian Info Commissioner Targets Facial Recognition, Biometrics Regulat

Published Date : 7/31/2025 

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has outlined its regulatory priorities for 2025-26, with a strong focus on facial recognition technology, biometric scanning, and data privacy. These measures aim to address harmful practices and ensure responsible innovation. 

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has unveiled its regulatory priorities for 2025-26, emphasizing its oversight of age assurance, digital ID, and biometrics. As the year progresses, the commissioner will focus on the collection and retention of personal information, facial recognition technology, and various forms of biometric scanning.

Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd explained that the announcement aims to alert the public to the most harmful practices and to signal to industry and government which obligations demand attention. “The OAIC is focusing its resources on the things that matter most and on the regulatory problems that pose the most harm,” Tydd said, adding that the right approach would foster innovation and drive economic and productivity gains.

The commission has a significant workload ahead, including the delivery of an Online Children’s Code by the end of 2026, while managing Australia’s digital ID system and document verification scheme. The Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) is set to release the final report from the Age Assurance Technology Trial to Parliament, with preliminary results already released in June. The OAIC is also presiding over an ongoing debate about the use of facial recognition in retail stores, despite having 30 percent fewer staff.

In outlining its new priorities, the OAIC emphasized the need to rebalance power and information asymmetries that arise when sectors or technologies erode individual rights. Regulators will examine how artificial intelligence applications may undermine information access and privacy, and will press agencies to remedy systemic failures that delay requests under freedom-of-information laws.

Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind underscored the importance of enforcing online privacy safeguards, warning that “opaque and unfair extraction and use of personal information undermines consumer trust and confidence, and may ultimately impede participation in the digital economy and the adoption of new technologies.”

Another pillar of the OAIC’s strategy is preserving rights amid emerging technologies. The office will protect and monitor privacy and information access rights in the deployment of facial recognition, biometric scanning, and new surveillance tools, such as location-tracking features in apps and connected vehicles. This will extend to government use of AI and automated decision-making systems.

Strengthening information governance within the Australian Public Service forms the third component. The OAIC will highlight inadequate life-cycle data handling practices, assess how freedom-of-information and privacy requests are managed, and provide guidance to improve administrative decision-making.

Timely access to government information rounds out the OAIC’s priorities. The office will pursue complaint investigations and leverage monitoring data to expose underperformance by individual agencies, particularly those with high refusal rates or failures to comply with statutory timeframes. Freedom of Information Commissioner Toni Pirani stressed that transparency underpins a healthy democracy: “Access to information promotes government transparency and is essential to our democratic system.” 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What are the key regulatory priorities for the OAIC in 2025-26?

A: The key regulatory priorities for the OAIC in 2025-26 include overseeing age assurance, digital ID, and biometrics, with a focus on the collection and retention of personal information, facial recognition technology, and biometric scanning.

Q: What is the Online Children’s Code, and when is it expected to be delivered?

A: The Online Children’s Code is a regulatory framework aimed at protecting children’s online privacy and safety. It is expected to be delivered by the end of 2026.

Q: How does the OAIC plan to address the use of facial recognition in retail stores?

A: The OAIC is presiding over an ongoing debate about the use of facial recognition in retail stores, ensuring that the technology is used responsibly and that consumer privacy is protected.

Q: What is the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) and what is its role?

A: The Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) is a program designed to ensure that age verification technologies are reliable and secure. It will release the final report from the Age Assurance Technology Trial to Parliament.

Q: How does the OAIC plan to enhance transparency and access to government information?

A: The OAIC plans to enhance transparency and access to government information by pursuing complaint investigations, leveraging monitoring data to expose underperformance by agencies, and ensuring timely compliance with statutory timeframes for information requests. 

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