New Zealand employers can use biometrics, like fingerprint readers, voice recognition systems or facial-recognition technology, to monitor employee attendance or for health, safety or security reasons, Stuff reports. Under the Privacy Act, employers can only collect a person’s information with their consent, except for limited circumstances like suspected theft. But Dundas Street Employment Lawyers Partner Susan Hornsby-Geluk said collection of biometric data could be a condition of employment and a worker could lose their job for refusing to share biometric data with an employer who had a valid reason to use it. Privacy Commissioner John Edwards said employers should conduct a “thorough” privacy impact assessment before using biometrics for workers.
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