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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsNational securityStarted 2yrs agoActive 1 day ago

Should the government use facial recognition technology for mass surveillance to enhance public safety?

Facial recognition technology uses software to identify individuals based on their facial features, and can be used to monitor public spaces and enhance security measures. Proponents argue that it enhances public safety by identifying and preventing potential threats, and helps in locating missing persons and criminals. Opponents argue that it infringes on privacy rights, can lead to misuse and discrimination, and raises significant ethical and civil liberties concerns.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 40.3k Australia voters.

42%
Yes
58%
No
34%
Yes
52%
No
6%
Yes, but only if it’s tightly regulated and used with transparency
4%
No, it sets a dangerous precedent for government control over citizens
2%
Yes, but only targeting criminal hotspots to protect vulnerable communities
2%
No, I trust the technology but not the humans that could misuse it
0%
No, this would be too expensive to implement

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 40.3k Australia voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 40.3k Australia voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Australia voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BDZ53K2answered…6 days6D

Ideally, yes, but only targeting criminal hotspots to protect vulnerable communities, but I trust the technology would be misused.

 @BDWMQ32answered…2wks2W

Overall, no. I don't believe the government has the power to ensure the communties safety as of the current moment. Once again, only if the system is not corrupt and does not pose a harm to public safety due to use from other instiutions or parties who may be able to access it.

 @BDNTN47answered…4wks4W

Yes, if it is at a government funded event

 @BCYQJK3answered…2mos2MO

I think yes but not like aggressive surveillance, but it can help with things like kidnapping and any physical crimes in public to identify people.

 @BC6SCRQanswered…3mos3MO

Defiantly not. While I understand the reasoning there's way to many things it can and will be misused for creating a dangerous precedent. Not to mention if its powered by ai or anyone with biased viewpoints its likely people will get falsely arrested on mass and again that information can be leaked. If scammers, hackers, stalkers and even information brokers in your area know where you are 24 hours a day it could get dangerous very fast. Furthermore, I currently don't trust the government in making logical decisions for policies regarding policies as everything they have tried to implement will be at the detriment of the people.

 @BBMCLJ9answered…4mos4MO

The question is so poorly defined as to have no meaning. Do you mean generate a national face database of every person?

 @B93L63Kanswered…6mos6MO

No, because be should have privacy and if someone hacks the government (even though unlikely) they would have access to see everyone’s data

 @B58N9D2answered…1yr1Y

Yes, as long as it is regulated by warrants and ethical councils to determine if the use is necessary

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About This Data

Based on 40.3k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

iSideWith is non-partisan — we don't advocate for any party, candidate, or position. We report what the public tells us.

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Cite This Poll

iSideWith. (2026). “Should the government use facial recognition technology for mass surveillance to enhance public safety?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 17, 2026, from https://australia.isidewith.com/poll/5139232596

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