Eyes on Tāmaki

Eyes on Tāmaki is an interactive experience that's part of a research partnership with the University of Auckland. The project examines data surveillance through facial recognition and asks you to consider how you interact with your own smartphone. Find it in the Living City room of Tāmaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland.

SURVEY

What do you think about data collection?

A team of academics from the University of Auckland is working to gauge the public's awareness of and opinion on how data is collected and used in Aotearoa New Zealand. The information they collect will be used to write a paper on data privacy.

Take the survey

Eyes on Tāmaki lets you explore what really happens when you use face filters and other apps on your smartphone. The data these apps harvest is only one of many types that is collected by corporations and governments in order to analyse our behaviour both off- and online. This is what we call 'data surveillance'.

Data can be used responsibly to do a lot of great things, such as improving how we provide commercial and government services to people, connecting us to friends and family, even helping us find concerts we might like to go to. But we are still figuring out how to articulate and protect our individual and collective data rights.

Your opinion about facial recognition technology is personal and will depend on a lot of factors. Museum visitors have told us what they think about this topic in the Eyes on Tāmaki experience. See what they answered in this graph and think about where you sit on the sliding scale of public opinion.

^{Last updated August 2021}

Get informed

These resources will help you know what your rights are currently, explain how to handle suspected data breaches, and shed light on some lesser known areas of data surveillance research.

Te Mana Raraunga

The Māori Data Sovereignty Network advocates for indigenous data rights and interests beyond individual privacy.

What’s new in New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020?

This video explores the new Privacy Act that came into effect in December 2020, which introduces new privacy protections for individuals and obligations for organisations.

The impact of facial recognition on human rights

A research project led by Associate Professor Nessa Lynch has shown the potential impact that use of facial recognition technology (FRT) has on human rights.

The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner Te Mana Mātāpono Matatapu works to develop and promote a culture in which personal information is protected and respected.

The Pacific Data Sovereignty Network

Moana Research runs seminars about government strategy and issues impacting Pacific children and families, including specifically information about Pacific Data Sovereignty.

The New Zealand Human Rights Commission

The New Zealand Human Rights Commission Te Kāhui Tika Tangata provides resources on privacy, data and technology.

Privacy Foundation NZ

Privacy Foundation NZ is a not-for-profit voluntary organisation dedicated to privacy in Aotearoa.

InternetNZ

InternetNZ runs policy initiatives to help government and others make decisions that support an Internet for good and an Internet for all.

Something not right?

Learn how to lodge a complaint with the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner Te Mana Mātāpono Matatapu.

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^{Eyes on Tāmaki is the inaugural project of the Future Tāmaki Research Partnership, which will see Auckland Museum partner with research institutions in Auckland to explore the relevance of data to our everyday lives. This interactive was developed alongside the University of Auckland’s Drs Ethan Plaut (Communication) and Danielle Lottridge (Computer Science) with Dr Fabio Morreale (Music).}