Aussie loses it at ANZ over creepy request before she could access her own money

An ANZ customer has expressed her frustration after having to submit a photo of herself to the bank’s records to access her own money.

The woman wrote on Facebook that she complained to the bank about “taking a photo of me without my consent when they had me re-register on their app.”

“They said only their premium customers get facial recognition,” she wrote.

According to the bank, when a customer opens an ANZ Plus account linked to the 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 other people from using your identity,” the website said.

‘It’s also an easy way to get your data back if you ever lose it.

‘Selfie ID is also required to use certain in-app features, such as increasing your Pay Everyone or BPAY limit.

‘This creates an extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized access to your app.’

The ANZ Plus app automatically uploads a photo to an online database after accessing a customer’s phone camera.

It is understood ANZ uses the ConnectID system developed by Australian Payments Plus, founded by payments companies BPAY and eftpos, and provides a “modest revenue stream” for banks who can charge a fee to merchants to validate customers’ identity information.

ANZ is one of a number of major Australian companies now pushing for their customers to use facial recognition.

Commonwealth Bank and NAB have also made arrangements, specifically with ConnectID, while Australian telco 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 Digital ID Act coming into effect on December 1.

“This legislation will strengthen and expand a voluntary accreditation scheme for digital identity service providers across the economy,” the Treasury Department said.

“Accredited providers will be required to meet a range of privacy, security and other standards and be subject to additional privacy safeguards set out in law.

‘Australians who choose to use these accredited providers to create and reuse a digital ID can rest assured that their personal information is private and secure.’

Although the legislation specifically does not require a digital ID, companies are now weighing whether they will lose customers by insisting they need one to use their services.

Government and companies claim the digital ID is more secure against cyber hacks than traditional online identity verification measures, but privacy concerns have been raised.

‘In Europe, many countries have set up digital identity structures; However, these systems are built on robust rights-based frameworks and a mature rights-respecting culture that we do not currently enjoy in Australia,” Digital Rights Watch wrote.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted ANZ for comment.