Retail giant Bunnings has breached privacy laws by using facial recognition technology on its customers, according to a landmark finding by the Privacy Commissioner.

Today's decision is the result of a two-year investigation by the regulator.

"Individuals who entered the relevant Bunnings stores at the time would not have been aware that facial recognition technology was in use and especially that their sensitive information was being collected, even if briefly," Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind said.

The case is expected to have major implications for how Australian businesses use the technology in future.

"Facial recognition technology, and the surveillance it enables, has emerged as one of the most ethically challenging new technologies," Commissioner Kind said.

The Privacy Commissioner found Bunnings interfered with the privacy of hundreds of thousands of customers across at least 62 of its New South Wales and Victorian stores, between November 6, 2018 and November 30, 2021.

The regulator said Bunnings did not gain proper consent to use the technology on them.

Read more of the breaking story here:

The ACCC is continuing to grill Woolworths head of loyalty programs about how it collects data and what it does with this information.

So far we've heard:

1. Woolies stores the data for all transactions made by shoppers.
2. Data is collected when somebody signs up to the supermarket's loyalty program.
3. Data is collected when you sign up to its delivery service options.
4. CCTV footage is taken instore and in some stores staff wear body cameras. Woolworths has taken cameras out of self-checkout scanners (after public backlash). 
5. If you're on Woolworths instore wifi, they know you're there.

6. Loyalty program members are also offered an incentive to link their account to Woolies insurance products, and if they tick the box to do that, their information is then shared with insurer partners.

7. It's the same as the above with linked telcos. 

8. "Limited de-identified" data is being shared with liquor stores owned by Endeavour Group, despite Woolworths divesting that entity a few years ago. 

It also works with a data analytics company to wade through this data which can give it information about all sorts of "shopping patterns and behaviours", like if they have pets. 

"It might be preferences of brands, say they like a premium type of coffee," Woolies Hannah Ross told the inquiry. 

In a world of growing privacy concerns (hello, Bunnings) and concerns about data hacks, this is quite a bit of data and clearly a point of concern for the ACCC.

The Australian share market is gaining in early trade.

This is how the sectors were faring just after open. 

Software company TechnologyOne is the best performing stock so far today, after posting favourable financial results. 

The company's full year net profit is up 15% to $118 million, while revenue is up 17% to $515.4 million.

I'm covering this morning's ACCC hearing into the supermarkets. 

Woolworths is back again today, and right now the head of its loyalty program division is being asked to explain why it gives customers on this scheme extra discounts.

The ACCC's Naomi Sharp started with asking if those who decided not to sign up were at a "disadvantage" and then lobbed Hannah Ross with this question.

Naomi Sharp SC: "Is the price that members have to pay for their member only pricing, giving up their data to Woolworths?"

Hannah Ross: "There is some personal information tp sign up to the program, which is relatively consistent across loyalty programs in order to process those points and service the consumer."

Ms Ross told the ACCC that Woolworths doesn't technically collect any more information off the transactions of people on its loyalty program, because instore all transaction info is collected.

Yet the ACCC elucidated the point that the scheme allows transactions to be tracked back to a person's central loyalty account. 

Woolworths shoppers who are part of their loyalty program generally spend more instore as well, Ms Ross said.

You can watch the inquiry live here.

Australian graphic design company Canva has recruited former Zoom chief financial officer Kelly Steckelberg as its new CFO. 

Ms Steckelberg oversaw Zoom's IPO on Wall Street in 2019. 

Canva has hinted at an IPO at some point. 

The appointment comes nine months after its former finance boss Damien Singh left the company early amid an internal investigation into "inappropriate behaviour."

Canva says it does not comment on individual employment matters, but at time said: "we have a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behaviour."

In relation to the company's incoming CFO Kelly Steckelberg, Canva’s cofounder and chief operations officer Cliff Obrecht said:

"Kelly’s impressive track record as a strong leader and strategic thinker, combined with her proven expertise in scaling enterprise companies, make her the perfect addition to our leadership bench.” 

Kelly Steckelberg is based in the US and will start her new position on November 26.

How's your pay gap? If you're a woman, you could effectively be working for free from today. 

In good news, a new report says the gender pay gap, somewhere between 11.5 and 21.7 per cent, is narrowing much faster than it was previously.

Big pay bumps in some industries, changes that have given more power to workers, and forcing companies to publish their gap have all contributed to the change.

ABC business reporter Dan Ziffer explains:

Corporate regulator ASIC is taking industry superannuation fund Cbus to court for failing to process more than 10,000 death and disability claims in a reasonable timeframe.

Now, Australian Ethical is the latest superannuation fund to be caught up in a scandal spreading throughout the industry. 

Despite being the sole beneficiary of her husband's super balance, the fund took until February this year to transfer the funds to his widow.

Pat McGrath from ABC Investigations reports:

There's a warning this morning that Australia's living standards will plunge in the years ahead unless the federal government tackles stalled productivity.

The Business Council of Australia is using a report to be released today to urge Labor to slash taxes and industrial relations red tape to address the lowest level of productivity in 60 years.

Take a listen to ABC's senior business correspondent Peter Ryan wrap of this morning's business news. 

The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed higher on Monday (US time), as Tesla shares jumped, and investors eyed financial results. 

The Nasdaq rose 0.6% to settle at 18,791, while the S&P 500 gained 0.4% to close at 5,893. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.1%, to finish at 43,389.

As mentioned on this blog, Tesla rallied on news reports Trump's team is working on ways to ease regulation on self-driving vehicles. 

Apple and Netflix gained 1.3% and 2.8%.

Energy stocks led the S&P with consumer discretionary also rising. Industrial stocks saw the biggest sector decline. 

With the key holiday shopping season set to commence, results from major retailers including Walmart, Lowe's Companies and Target will be closely watched this week to gauge the strength of the US consumer.

Here's how the sectors ended up on the S&P 500:

The best and worst performing stocks:

Turns out younger people aren't splurging on avo toast and other luxuries at the same rate as those over 40.

Check out this piece from ABC business editor Michael Janda: