The province’s privacy commissioner says between 2018 and 2021 four of the retailer’s locations used the technology without properly notifying customers and getting their consent to collect the information, in contravention of the B.C. Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). (CBC)

Talking point: In total, 12 stores in the province used facial recognition tech for theft monitoring and staff safety. The retailer said it removed the technology from the stores and destroyed the information it collected after being informed of an investigation. The commissioner’s report recommends Canadian Tire create robust privacy programs. It also suggests the provincial government regulate the sale or installation of facial recognition technologies and amend the provincial PIPA so that companies that use them have more obligations, such as notifying the commissioner’s office.