NZ police struggle to delete unlawfully collected images

Three years after New Zealand law enforcement agencies were ordered to delete tens of thousands of photos of children and young people it collected unlawfully, the police are struggling to complete the task due to the sheer volume of images.

In 2021, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) and the Office of Privacy Commissioner (OPC) launched an investigation into the practice of taking photos of young Maoris which concluded with action against the police for breaching privacy regulations. Police were also ordered to delete fingerprints taken unlawfully after it was discovered that the force engaged in a “systemic” practice of collecting duplicate sets of fingerprints and photographs of young people in custody and holding on to them longer than allowed.

Police said that the efforts to delete the images were delayed as the photographs spread out throughout different systems and work phones. Many of the images are unlabeled and lacked metadata, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reports.

“The lack of metadata (labelling) coupled with extremely large data holdings has meant that implementing a solution of this size and scale is not achievable at this time,” police told the news outlet.

The Privacy Commissioner has extended the deadline to mid-2025 and ordered the force to introduce more control over accessing and using unlawfully taken photos. The police claim it has introduced procedures and guidelines for taking photos and videos of members of the public and has updated instructions on collecting biometrics, including photos and fingerprints.

The practice of taking photos of young Maoris was discovered in late 2020 in the region of Wairarapa after locals complained that children as young as 15 were being stopped in the street during daytime by officers. The police were demanding to take photographs of the youths without permission from relatives.

The use of biometric technology by the New Zealand police has raised concerns over bias and discrimination towards Maori and other populations. Adding to these concerns is the spread of facial recognition in supermarkets which has led to one Maori woman being misidentified as a thief.

In April, the country’s privacy watchdog announced an investigation into facial recognition with Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster promising to publish a draft biometrics code this autumn. The move was followed by a request from the government for more information on facial recognition, particularly its use in law enforcement.

Article Topics

biometric identifiers  |  biometrics  |  children  |  data collection  |  data privacy  |  face photo  |  New Zealand  |  police