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The News

Facial recognition is still used in stores despite a privacy ruling against its use

Despite the Privacy Commissioner ruling that Kmart and Bunnings’ facial recognition tech broke the law, Australian retailers continue to use the technology in their stores (Information Age). Friend of the Sizzle Jeremy Nadel found that multiple bottle shops and grocers were still using the real-time technology. Plus, he also found that Auror — a “retail surveillance” company used in thousands of Australian stores that I was first to write about — now facilitates the use of facial recognition technology and is being used to surveil staff, the union claims. Bunnings is appealing the Privacy Commissioner’s finding against its use of facial recognition technology.

The Sizzle: The problem with technology like this is that it’s impossible to put the genie back into the bottle. The allure of using facial recognition technology to supposedly solve crime is too much, its cost and potential risk to the retailer is too little. Speaking realistically — what does a random shop owner have to lose from using this even if they bother to know it’s against the law? Bunnings and Kmart didn’t face any consequences for their misuse.

Meanwhile, people end up being thrown in jail when it’s wrong (NYT, $) and we all suffer the consequences of the end of privacy.

Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Crucial is ditching selling to punters in favour of AI companies

Popular storage brand Crucial will no longer produce consumer hardware as its parent company pivots to — you guessed it — selling to AI companies (Videocardz). Micron will stop selling its budget brand Crucial RAM, SSD, SD cards and other storage by the end of February 2026 so it can “improve supply for our larger, strategic customers” (Micron). it doesn’t take a genius to realise that’s a consequence of the rush to turn the entire earth into data centres, which is also causing memory prices to spike (Tom’s Hardware). Crucial will honour existing warranties.

Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Hubbl is punching above its weight in tech complaints made to the wrong ombudsman

The telco ombudsman has published data about the 1500 Australians who’ve asked them for help with tech platforms — something that they can’t actually do — as part of a pitch to expand their scope (Guardian). The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman says they’re getting a growing number of complaints about tech platforms despite not having the power to adjudicate those disputes (TIO). 71% of all complaints were about 5 platforms: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Hubbl! Now, given how many use these platforms, you’d have to imagine that Hubbl is the pound-for-pound winner. Anyway, TIO is putting this out to again ask the government for powers to step in and help in these disputes.

Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Leftovers

Australia:

Rest of the world:

Discuss these links in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Oh, Also

A YouTuber is helping to bring down rare plant prices

During the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns, you might remember that plant prices spiked as everyone raced to make their houses feel less bleak. Since then i’ve been paying attention to a few rare plant online communities and I came across this video of US YouTuber Plants In Jars who says that prices for sought after plants are crashing because of the growing popularity of using tissue culture to “clone” the plants (i.e. just breed more).

A funny part in all of this is apparently there’s some snobbery around tissue culture-grown plants as inferior.

Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Bargains

Electrical & Electronics

Computing

Mobile

The End

😎 The Sizzle is written by Cam Wilson and emailed every weekday. It was created by Anthony “decryption” Agius.

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The Sizzle is created on Gadigal land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.