The privacy commissioner has warned retailers like dairies not to put up walls of shame, photographs of shoplifters due to privacy risk and reputational harm - especially for children. 

Privacy commissioner Michael Webster explained to Heather du Plessis-Allan some of the potential concerns. 

"The first... is you could potentially break the law, the second, the wrong person could be identified." 

He says there are better avenues businesses can take. 

LISTEN ABOVE

The privacy commissioner has warned retailers like dairies not to put up walls of shame, photographs of shoplifters due to&nbsp;privacy risk and reputational harm - especially for children.&nbsp;
Privacy commissioner Michael Webster explained to Heather du Plessis-Allan some of the potential concerns.&nbsp;
"The first... is you could potentially break the law, the second, the wrong person could be identified."&nbsp;
He says there are better avenues businesses can take.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Michael Webster: Privacy commissioner says shops shouldn't post photos of thieves

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/5f3356d2-601a-4e9e-9fcd-b4bb00656e00/transcript

The Warriors are facing off against the Sea Eagles at 5pm on Saturday for NRL Round 27 at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland.

The original captain of the Warriors joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the match. 

"We've got to sort of look forward to these playoffs with a lot of hope, you know it's not going to surprise us if they're at the grand final day and they lift the trophy, but as I say it's a different level."

LISTEN ABOVE 

The Warriors are facing off against the Sea Eagles at 5pm on Saturday for NRL Round 27 at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland.
The original captain of the Warriors joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the match.&nbsp;
"We've got to sort of look forward to these playoffs with a lot of hope, you know it's not going to surprise us if they're at the grand final day and they lift the trophy, but as I say it's a different level."
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Dean Bell: Original Warriors captain chats ahead of final regular season match

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/2d56059b-4b87-4fbd-9f96-b4bb006f4730/transcript

Okay, do you want to hear something straight out of the "you would have been better off just saying absolutely nothing" file? This one's from the Privacy Commissioner.

Michael Webster has warned small retailers, such as dairies, about putting up "walls of shame" featuring people they say have shoplifted from them. You know the ones. You go into the dairy and there's a mood board of dodgy-looking people in trackies, snapped by CCTV, usually stuck up on a wall or window close to the counter.

The Privacy Commissioner has warned that this can cause the named individuals serious embarrassment, emotional distress and reputational harm, especially if the retailer is not 100% sure they actually shoplifted. The consequences can be particularly serious for children and young people and there can also be tikanga Māori considerations because of the tapu associated with the human body and, of course, any tattoos on that body.

Webster has some advice for retailers. Good questions businesses can ask before displaying someone's image are: Do you know who it is? Do you have their permission? Are they identifiable? Is it fair to post it? Will it embarrass or hurt them?

Now, far be it from me to tell the Privacy Commissioner how to do their job but I suspect there are more deserving victims of privacy breaches to go into bat for than the people on a dairy's wall of shame.

My sympathies in this case actually lie with the dairy owners because I think we all know that putting up a wall of shame is an act of desperation. It's done because nothing else is working.

Calling the police doesn't work. You'll remember that, for one hot minute, officers were reportedly told not to attend shoplifting incidents involving less than $500. Threatening the shoplifter doesn't work. How many times have we read about people simply filling up their trolleys and walking out? Holding a shoplifter on the ground is a pretty risky thing to do.

So really, the only thing left for these owners to do is put up photos, often simply to remind themselves what the offenders look like in case they come back again.

These dairy owners cannot afford the kind of facial recognition technology that Bunnings can, right? This is the sort of technology that stores a shoplifter's face in a database and triggers an alert when old mate waltzes back in. These guys have to rely on a printer, a bit of Sellotape, and their own memories.

Privacy is the last thing anyone is likely to be worried about in a scenario where someone has stolen from a dairy owner.

Sticking up for shoplifters is definitely an inside-your-own-head conversation, not one for sharing with the rest of us.

LISTEN ABOVE

Okay, do you want to hear something straight out of the "you would have been better off just saying absolutely nothing" file? This one's from the Privacy Commissioner.
Michael Webster has warned small retailers, such as dairies, about putting up "walls of shame" featuring people they say have shoplifted from them. You know the ones. You go into the dairy and there's a mood board of dodgy-looking people in trackies, snapped by CCTV, usually stuck up on a wall or window close to the counter.
The Privacy Commissioner has warned that this can cause the named individuals serious embarrassment, emotional distress and reputational harm, especially if the retailer is not 100% sure they actually shoplifted. The consequences can be particularly serious for children and young people and there can also be tikanga Māori considerations because of the tapu associated with the human body and, of course, any tattoos on that body.
Webster has some advice for retailers. Good questions businesses can ask before displaying someone's image are: Do you know who it is? Do you have their permission? Are they identifiable? Is it fair to post it? Will it embarrass or hurt them?
Now, far be it from me to tell the Privacy Commissioner how to do their job but I suspect there are more deserving victims of privacy breaches to go into bat for than the people on a dairy's wall of shame.
My sympathies in this case actually lie with the dairy owners because I think we all know that putting up a wall of shame is an act of desperation. It's done because nothing else is working.
Calling the police doesn't work. You'll remember that, for one hot minute, officers were reportedly told not to attend shoplifting incidents involving less than $500. Threatening the shoplifter doesn't work. How many times have we read about people simply filling up their trolleys and walking out? Holding a shoplifter on the ground is a pretty risky thing to do.
So really, the only thing left for these owners to do is put up photos, often simply to remind themselves what the offenders look like in case they come back again.
These dairy owners cannot afford the kind of facial recognition technology that Bunnings can, right? This is the sort of technology that stores a shoplifter's face in a database and triggers an alert when old mate waltzes back in. These guys have to rely on a printer, a bit of Sellotape, and their own memories.
Privacy is the last thing anyone is likely to be worried about in a scenario where someone has stolen from a dairy owner.
Sticking up for shoplifters is definitely an inside-your-own-head conversation, not one for sharing with the rest of us.
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: 'Putting up a wall of shame is an act of desperation'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/c7948ff7-07cb-4c0c-be9e-b4bb0069474d/transcript

Medsafe has approved two New Zealand-based psychiatrists to begin prescribing ecstasy for patients who are resistant to normal medications. 

The psychiatrists will be able to provide pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to patients within their clinics, but not to take home. 

One of the psychiatrists permitted to prescribe the medication, Dr Gary Wynn, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the treatment. 

"It seems to quiet down the fear centres in our brain, so that people aren't as overwhelmed when they start talking about, thinking about, and then processing these traumatic experiences they've had," Wynn explained.

LISTEN ABOVE 

Medsafe has approved two New Zealand-based psychiatrists to begin prescribing ecstasy for patients who are resistant to normal medications.&nbsp;
The psychiatrists will be able to provide pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to patients within their clinics, but not to take home.&nbsp;
One of the psychiatrists permitted to prescribe the medication, Dr Gary Wynn, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the treatment.&nbsp;
"It seems to quiet down the fear centres in our brain, so that people aren't as overwhelmed when they start talking about, thinking about, and then processing these traumatic experiences they've had," Wynn explained.
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Dr Gary Wynn: Psychiatrist chats ecstacy treatment for PTSD

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/1080fdfa-f64f-44f8-8c9e-b4bb0061ac98/transcript

Michael Webster: Privacy commissioner says shops shouldn't post photos of thieves

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