Privateness considerations raised over ‘unfair’ AI-assisted cell phone and seatbelt digicam fines
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Issuing fines for cell phone and seatbelt offences utilizing synthetic intelligence (AI) could possibly be in breach of privateness legal guidelines, in response to an investigation by the Queensland Audit Workplace (QAO).
The sunshine state’s income from visitors fines tripled to $464.3 million final monetary yr, however a QAO report has raised considerations that the usage of AI to find out whether or not motorists must be fined primarily based on pictures from detection cameras could possibly be in breach of privateness legal guidelines.
It mentioned infringements might have been (and proceed to be) issued unfairly, pointing to considerations over inaccurate picture recognition, privateness of drivers in addition to passengers, and insufficient picture dealing with and storage.
Queensland’s Division of Transport and Predominant Roads (TMR) has a number of the highest visitors penalties nationally – together with a rise to $1209 and 4 demerit factors for cell phone use in July 2025 – however the QAO mentioned it didn’t establish the dangers and lacked oversight of its AI programs.
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The QAO mentioned TMR’s present danger mitigation course of wasn’t enough to make sure that AI tech doesn’t breach privateness rules – even with human assessment of potential infringements earlier than fines are issued.
The truth is, the TMR’s cell phone and seatbelt digicam program had not been by the required moral danger evaluation as a part of the Queensland state authorities sector’s moral use of AI coverage for all departments.
AI programs together with the one employed in Queensland analyse pictures from cameras to find out whether or not a effective must be issued, and their introduction has led to a major enhance in penalties for drivers.
They have been first utilized in Australia in 2020, when New South Wales started utilizing the tech, and have been rolled out throughout most Australian states since then, with AI ‘turned on’ nationally on July 1, 2025.
But AI-based selections have seen harmless drivers incorrectly issued with fines not solely in Queensland, but in addition NSW and different states – in addition to New York within the US.
The QAO report additionally mentioned there was little oversight on how AI was used between authorities departments, in one other potential breach of privateness legal guidelines.
“The privateness of Queenslanders is one thing we take extraordinarily significantly,” mentioned the state transport minister Brent Mickelberg in response.
“TMR has already commenced implementing the Queensland Audit Workplace’s suggestions and have [sic] developed a brand new AI Strategic Roadmap to make sure stronger oversight and protections.”
Regardless of document numbers of visitors fines and document ranges of income generated by them within the state, Queensland’s highway toll elevated by 9.0 per cent to 302 deaths final yr, contributing to the deadliest yr on Australian roads in additional than a decade in 2024.
Up to now in 2025, 206 deaths have been recorded within the state, up 4.6 per cent year-on-year.
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