An ANZ customer has expressed frustration after she was asked to submit a photo of herself for the bank’s records to access her own money.
The woman wrote on Facebook that she complained to the bank for “taking my photo without my permission when they made me re-register on their app.”
“They said only their premium customers get facial recognition,” he wrote.
According to the bank, when a customer opens an ANZ Plus account, which is linked to its app, users “must take a selfie photo to confirm it’s really you.”
“This is one of our new security features called Selfie ID and it helps prevent others from using your identity,” their website reads.
‘It’s also a simple way to recover your data if you ever lose it.
‘Selfie ID is also required to use some features of the app, such as increasing the Pay to Anyone or BPAY limit.
“This creates an additional layer of security to help prevent unauthorized access to your application.”
ANZ said its customers with ANZ Plus accounts “must” send a selfie to use its app
The ANZ Plus app automatically uploads an image to an online database after requesting access to a customer’s phone camera.
ANZ is understood to use the ConnectID system developed by Australian Payments Plus, founded by payments companies BPAY and eftpos, and provides a “modest revenue stream” for banks that can charge merchants for a fee to validate identity information. of clients.
ANZ is one of the major Australian companies now pushing for its customers to use facial recognition.
Commonwealth Bank and NAB have also signed agreements, specifically with ConnectID, while Australian telecommunications company Optus uses the ID by Mastercard service.
The Australian government even has its own version called MyID, which was renamed MyGovID in November ahead of the start of the Digital ID Act on December 1.
“This legislation will strengthen and expand a voluntary accreditation scheme for digital identification service providers across the economy,” the Department of Finance said.
‘Accredited providers will be required to meet a range of privacy, security and other standards and be subject to additional privacy safeguards established by law.
“Australians who choose to use these reputable providers to create and reuse a digital ID can have confidence knowing their personal information is private and secure.”
While a digital ID is not mandatory under legislation, businesses are now weighing up whether they will lose customers by insisting they need one to use their services.
The government and corporations argue that digital ID is more secure from cyberattacks than traditional online identity verification measures, but privacy concerns have been raised.
‘In Europe, many countries have established digital identity structures; “However, these systems are based on strong rights-based frameworks and a mature culture of respect for rights that we do not currently enjoy in Australia,” Digital Rights Watch wrote.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted ANZ for comment.