Convenience store group 7-Eleven has been found collecting facial recognition data from customers without their consent, according to Australia’s data protection authority. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) said facial images of customers were collected while they completed surveys on their in-store experience. Over 1.6 million surveys were completed in 10 months across 700 stores, starting from June 2020. The investigation by the OAIC found that customers’ facial images were collected to generate algorithmic representations, or “faceprints,” that were then compared to other faceprints to filter out responses that were not genuine. Angelene Falk, the Australian information and privacy commissioner, said faceprints were protected under the Privacy Act 1988, and that customers did not give express or implied consent to the collection of that data. Nor did 7-Eleven take “reasonable steps” to notify individuals that their personal information was being collected. “Entities must carefully consider whether they need …